How it Goes
by yssirhc123
Summary: This tells the story of the children of the original Quileute wolf pack. Growing up knowing of the legends, imprinting, and the glory of protecting the tribe, the children must decide if following in their parents foot steps is the path they want to take. Love, trust, anger, and fate all play a role in helping the children decide how their futures will play out.
1. Chapter 1

Hello! So, I've recently gotten back into reading FanFics (quite obsessively to be honest). I began writing this story almost 10 years ago and unfortunately I cannot login into my old account. So, I am reposting this story and upgrading it a bit (I was 16 when I wrote it, can you blame me?). I promise I am not stealing this from some pour sole that lost the motivation to finish the story.

Let me know what you think!

*SM owns all

* * *

"Kayley, get up! It's time for school! Breakfast is going quick and you need to eat before your first day!" mom yelled from the stairs.

I woke to sun streaming in through the window and the sound of light waves crashing outside. The familiar smell of sea salt and pine was fresh in the air and if I wasn't mistaken, my mothers muffins also seemed to be lingering in the air. I looked to the clock and it was 6:45 a.m. The first day of my junior year. I wasn't unhappy about going back, but I would miss the sun that was bound to leave soon for the season.

I got up and went to the bathroom that Sean, my brother, and I shared. I huffed as my feet got soaked from his shower water still sprayed over the floor. He is always leaving it a mess and never offering to help clean it up. He'd say, "I don't care if it's messy, it's you that does so you can clean it". Ugh, he is enough to drive me insane.

Sean was a year older then my 16-year-old self. Thirteen months older to be exact. He was my best friend on a good day. But today he was already pushing my buttons.

"Sean this is just gross. I don't want to be walking around in your shower water," I yelled through the door. I knew he could hear me from down stairs. Sean had started showing beginning signs of "the phase" a few months ago. We knew he'd start to soon, but I am always still shocked to see how large he's gotten over the last few months.

I'll always remember when things started to change. It was two months ago and the last day of my sophomore year. Most kids were busy laughing and making plans for the summer months while I sat counting down the minutes until the day was finally over. When the bell rang to signal last period was over, I rushed to grab the last few things from my locker that I would want for the summer before running to Ryan's jeep. I didn't notice someone following quickly behind me as I made my way from the school.

"Kayley!" Tom Robinson called from the swinging front doors.

Tom was also a sophomore and in a few of my classes. He was from Forks but moved to the Res at the beginning of the year. Tom was your average joke. Tall, blonde hairs, blue eyes, buff. He was friendly enough, but I never spoke much to him other then in class.

"Hey, Tom" I said while slowing down in the parking lot so he could catch up to me.

"Happy that it's finally over?" he said with a lopsided grin.

"God, yes. Today dragged, but we're free now!"

"Listen, I was wondering if you wanted to hangout sometime this summer?" As he said this he shyly pushed his hands further into his already strained jean pockets. My mouth just sort of opened and closed for a moment. Gasping a bit like a fish.

"You know I'm dating Ryan right?" I said before I could even think of another excuse to say. Why else would he want to hangout with me this summer? He seemed shocked by my forwardness and uncomfortably swayed from side to side.

"Yeah I know," He said with his eyes facing the ground. "Just a shot in the dark I guess." I gave him a halfhearted smile, not knowing what else to say. Ryan and I had been together for so long, I never knew other guys would even contemplate wanting to hangout with me.

"Have a nice summer then. See you when I see you." And with that, Tom walked back towards the school. I quickly turned back towards Ryan's jeep to see him and my brother Sean staring intently at me.

"What was that about?" Sean asked.

"Eh, nothing really. Tom asked if he'd see me around at all this summer." Ryan had a flash of anger show on his face so I quickly added how I politely told him I would not be.

"What a freak! Everyone knows your _mine_ , what's that idiot thinking?" Ryan said. He was breathing heavy now. I reached out to touch his arm but he was shocked to feel he was shaking like crazy. Flashes of Aunt Emily's face inadvertently flashed before me.

"Ry, you need to calm down." Sean said loudly breaking up my thoughts.

As he said this I rubbed the length of his right arm, needing him to feel my closeness. We had all been trained in the signs of phasing ever since we were kids. Dad would kill me for staying so close but I knew I was Ryan's only hope in not phasing on the spot.

Aunt Nessie and Uncle Jake still lived on the Res. This meant that new wolves would still phase from time to time since Nessie was part vampire.

Ryan slowly began to calm himself down under the touch of my tender strokes. After what seemed like minutes, Ryan calmed down enough to leave the school parking lot. We drove in silence back to our house were we inevitable knew what would come next. When we got back to the house, we told mum and dad what had happened at school.

"Ryan, I'm glad you were able to calm yourself down this time but if you EVER choose to be that reckless in front of _my_ daughter again it WILL be the last thing you do." Shivers ran up my arm at my father's words.

"I am so sorry Uncle Jared. You have my word." They had a moment together, silently communicating what I could only imagine to be death threats from my father. With that, Ryan flashed me a mournful smile and walked out the door. He knew better then to try and stay when my dad was this upset.

This is when the changes started. It almost seemed like a competition between the boys nowadays. One day they were just the sons of the pack and the next they were turning into members of the pack themselves.

That summer the boys spent a lot of time with the elders and wolves learning the ways of the tribe. When my father first phased, it was only him and Uncle Sam as wolves. They had no time to learn and appreciate the legends before putting their skills to use in protecting the Res. Now that the Cullen's had left and there was rarely any danger put on the people of La Push, the wolf initiation became more ceremonious. It was a glorified way of becoming an adult in my eyes.

The boys spent all summer doing volunteer work to build a better reputation for themselves amongst the community. The rumors of our family still hurt after all this time. People thinking we were a gang or up to no good. If only they really knew what the wolves were protecting us all from.

My thoughts continued to wonder as I jumped in the shower and let the hot water unknot my muscles. I spent probably 10 minutes too long just standing there but I really wasn't ready to begin this day, or this new school year for that matter.

I went to the dresser and pulled on a pair of dark skinny jeans and a white long sleeve shirt. I quickly ran a brush through my hair, leaving it long and wet on my back. I applied a quick coat of mascara on and threw on some flip-flops. Taking one last look in the mirror, I decided this would do for today and headed downstairs.

I was still surprised at how much of a mix of my parents I was. I was the 5'5" version of my father. Russet skin, long silky hair, with light brown eyes that I got from my mother.

"Finally Kayls, what were you doing up there? It's time to go!" Sean said with a grin on his face. He was a little bit more excited then for the first day back then I was.

From all of his training this summer, he didn't see much of anyone except the other guys.

I went over to mom and gave a kiss on the cheek before grabbing a muffin from the counter.

"Morning mum", I said.

"Morning love, excited to be going back to school?" she said.

"Ehh, not really. I wish it were still summer but it'll be good to see some of the guys." I saw a few people here and there at the beach or the diner but other then that I mostly stuck by Avery or Ryan. I missed seeing most of the guys so it would be good to see them too.

"You'll be fine, don't worry about it. I have to run to Emily's house to help her with some curtains she just bought, so I will see you guys when you get home. Have fun, love you and be safe!" With that she was out the door and our dad had just walked in.

I recognized this face all to well on my father. He looked tired. I got up and went to give him a hug.

"Hi daddy" I went to counter to fix him a plate of food while he took a seat at the table. He had been on double patrol while Uncle Sam was busy at the shop. I knew with his super wolfy genes he didn't get as tired easily, but no one can go completely sleepless.

"Don't worry, as soon as your brother phases I'll be able to cut back on patrols," he said with a grin. They were constantly talking about the day Sean would finally phase. It was annoying how much they talked about wolf stuff. I would probably die listening if I wasn't also excited for the day he finally phased.

The three of us sat in the kitchen talking until we heard a beep outside. Ryan was here to pick us up.

"Have a nice day kids. Be good, love you." Dad yelled from the kitchen before we shut the door.

I ran up to the front seat of the Jeep and hopped in. This would probably be the best part of my day, seeing Ryan. Ryan's been my boyfriend for the last few years. All of us kids grew up together, but for whatever reason, Ryan and I just clicked more so then the others. I was always drawn to him and he to me. We had a special bond and I just knew that one day he would be mine. I could feel it in my chest.

We grew up seeing the bond between imprint and imprintee. I knew the signs and could spot them a mile away. If there was one thing I was sure of, it was that Ryan would imprint on me as soon as he phased. From time to time my mother would try and have the "what if" talk with me but I already knew the conversation. It's happened before. To Uncle Sam and Aunty Leah. Ryan and I knew we couldn't dwell on the what if's and mutually decided we would get to that bridge when we got to.

I jumped into the front seat of the jeep; eager to see that handsome face I'd been craving to see. He leaned in to kiss my check, not wanting to show too much PDA in front of my brother I'm sure.

We drove quietly, holding hands on my lap as we made the quick drive to school. We walked into the main buildings office to grab our schedules and headed off to our first periods. Of course I don't have first period with either Sean or Ryan, just my luck to start off alone. I got to the door and turned to face Ryan, reluctant to let go of his warm hand in mine. He bent down and I was ready for him to kiss me until I felt his warm breath against my ear.

"Stop worrying, you'll be fine. I'll be right here after class." he quickly brushed his lips against mine, winked, and walked away. It took me a moment to pull myself together.

"Here we go...again" I said and walked in.

* * *

My first few periods seemed to drag on. Different teachers asking the same old questions. "How was your summer? Do anything exciting? Are you prepared for another year?"

When fifth period ended, I nearly jumped from my seeing knowing it was finally time for lunch. Since the res school was small, all two hundred high school students piled into the small cafeteria at the same time. I saw my best friend Avery first and she waved me over to where I could see everyone else already sitting. I sat down next to her and waited for Ryan to grab the seat beside me.

Avery was Uncle Jake and Aunt Nessie's eldest daughter. She and I have been attached at the hip for as long as I can remember. Avery was the girl everyone wanted to be. She was tall with legs that went on for days. Her tan but clear skin made me want to keep myself covered on a good day and he long dark hair fell just shorter then mine. Although it was not a big part of her bloodline, Avery and her siblings still had the vampire gene running through their veins. This gave them different advantages, Avery's being her beauty and ability to shift the mood of a crowd.

I took my seat beside her, retrieving my lunch from my bag. Before I could even take a bite of my sandwich, Sean reached over saying, "Hey if you're not going to eat that I can take it off your hands for you." He grabbed my sandwich right off my plate and finished off in three big bites. He has been eating like a cow lately and its totally grossing me out. I knew he was on the brink of the phase but I think he is in denial. I offer to pack him an extra lunch but he always declines.

Lunch went by too quickly and before I knew it, Ryan was dropping me off to my sixth period class. School went by pretty fast after that. I had some hard class this year (which I choose to be in so I guess I couldn't complain). When the final bell rang I excitedly jumped from my desk and made my way out to the parking lot.

For some reason school always starts on a Friday. They say it has to do with fitting in the legal number of days we need to go to school each year but I think it's just made to ease us into what will be another _very_ long year.

Every first night back to school, we had a big pack bonfire that night. Everyone came. It was like a celebration to the New Year. Then, the girls would all camp out in Uncle Jake and Aunt Nessie's backyard. It had started when my mum and aunts were all younger. They had said they needed time away from the wolves to talk about imprintee stuff and it just became a tradition of sorts. We had been doing this for as long as I can remember.

The bonfire began as soon as the sun set over First Beach. We sat and listened to Old Quil share the legends that I had grown up knowing to be true. I snuggled a bit closer into Ryan's arms as he shared the story of the Third Wife. I could feel him kiss the top of my head and wrap his arm tighter knowing all to well how this tale could affect us.

The end of the night came quickly and I was soon walking towards Ryan's Jeep, hand in hand.

"I'll miss you tonight, " he said while playing with a loose strand of hair that had fallen from my braided hair. I leaned my head into his chest and wrapped my arms tightly around his waist. I felt as though I could stay this way forever.

All too quickly I head Avery call to me that it was time to head back to her house. I tilted my head up, looking straight into Ryan's dark eyes. He leaned down to give me a sweet but satisfying kiss on the lips. I let him linger there for probably a second to long given we were surround by our families, but I didn't care.

"I love you," I said, leaning in for one final brush of our lips.

"I love you, too," he said. Ryan walked me over to Avery's car and waited till I was fastened in before walking away.

* * *

The slumber party was as great as I always remember it to be. Staying up too late, eating way too much junk food, gossiping about all the cute boys that had seemed to man up over the summer. We even got Uncle Sam's daughter Veronica to admit to have a major crush on Uncle Embry's son Charlie.

Her cheeks were flushed whenever she said his name and it was obvious she couldn't hide her secret any longer. What started as he mentioning how grown up and sexy Charlie was looking these turned into a full blown love fest of how she had been pinning after him for as long as she could remember. This didn't change things for her though. We all dreamed of the day we would finally look our sole mate in the eye and know we were theirs for eternity. Veronica wanted to wait and we could only respect her feelings.

We all knew too well of the heartbreak that could happen when dating a wolf before they imprinted. Imprinting was supposed to be rare but every wolf, aside from Aunty Leah, had eventually imprinted over the years.

Ryan and I were the only two daring enough to take the chance at love. I just knew we were different though. I couldn't have this strong of feelings for a boy that wouldn't someday be mine, could I? None of the other girls ever brought it up and I was thankful for that. They knew I wasn't stupid and most of them felt the same way about our relationship as I did.

* * *

The rest of the night went by seamlessly, Aunty Nessie only had to come out and tell us to quiet down once. The next morning, Avery dropped me back off at home where I was excited to lie down in my own bed for a few more hours. I checked my phone for the first time since the bonefire and was happy to see a few text messages from Ryan.

 _Hope your enjoying yourself. Miss you already_ _J_ _-_ Ryan

 _Just overheard mom on the phone with Nessie and she said you girls are being wild. Don't get into too much trouble ;)_ –Ryan

The last one said, _I can't get you out of my head tonight…meet me tomorrow at the rock? Noonish?_

I smiled to myself thinking how lucky I am. I pulled the covers up just a bit higher under my chin before deciding to get a few more hours of sleep.

* * *

I felt a soft nudge on my shoulder and realized I was being shaken awake.

"Babe, wake up" Ryan's tender voice said while pulling me from my deep sleep. I groggily opened up my eyes to see his wide smile looking down at me lovingly.

"What time is it?" I ask, scotching over to make some room for Ryan to sit down. He softly caressed my hair while looking over at my alarm clock. I could see it was nearly two in the afternoon at this point and I buried my head into Ryan's lap knowing I had overslept and probably left him waiting at the rock for me all this time.

"Don't worry about it. I think you needed the rest anyway," he said. I moved over even further, patting the spot next me, silently asking him to lie down beside me. In one swift movement, he was pulling my head to his chest and rubbing my side as we cuddled on my bed. We only did this when we knew we were alone. My father would kill him for being in my bed like this and we both knew that. I thought quietly where my parents were and as if he could read my thoughts Ryan told me they were at his parent's house for a late lunch.

This only made me snuggle a bit deeper into Ryan's warm chest. The way Ryan caressed my side, pulling me closer to him with each pass on my arm; I knew were this was headed. Ryan knew I wasn't ready for _that_ next step in our relationship and he always blew me away with his patience. This didn't stop either of us from pushing the boundaries a bit too far from time to time. I knew being alone in my room today could possibility lead to one of those days and I was in the mood to feel as close to my boyfriend as possible.

I tilted my head back to give Ryan enough room to rest his lips on mine. This was my favorite time, sitting with our lips together like this, not really kissing just relishing in this moment. Ryan's soft moan brought me back to reality and I pushed myself up to allow him better access. I deepened our kiss by slowly drawing my tongue across his bottom lip, asking him to let me in.

Our mouths played together while Ryan moved to hover over me, caressing his hands up and down my body. My hands found their way into Ryan's silky hair, pulling his face closer then it was already. His hands began to rub their way around the hem of my shirt, toying there where it met the bare skin of my stomach. He began to slowly rub his way higher, stopping just before he reached the underwire of my bra.

This was Ryan's way of asking for permission to keep going. I pressed my body up against him, showing him that I was craving his touch. In one swift movement I felt my bra come undone and Ryan's warm hands found their way to cup my chest. A soft moan escaped my lips, which only encouraged him to roll myself between his fingers. I turned my head, needing the fresh air to calm my head when I felt Ryan move his body lower. Before I could protest his lips leaving mine, I felt him slowly lay kisses down my chest until his tongue took over where his hands had once bin.

This was the feeling I was craving. This touch. This intimacy. I felt so whole in this moment I wondered what it would be like to have more of him. I couldn't help but moan out Ryan's name, louder then I intended to. He chuckled below me and I could feel him begin to pull away from my chest. I was about to protest when he spoke up.

"If you keep saying my name that way I won't be able to stop from making you mine and you know it," he said with a cheeky grin. He pulled my shirt back to its original spot and pulled himself up on my bed. Reluctantly I hooked my bra back in place and joined him sitting up in my bed.

"One of these times I wont want to stop either," I said quietly, half hoping he would hear me, half hoping he wouldn't. I shyly looked back up to him, only to be greeted by a knowing look and smile.

"One of these days love, you'll be mine forever and we will have all the time in the world."

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AN enjoy :)


	2. Chapter 2

I am so happy everyone is enjoying this! Sorry the formatting is a bit wonky on the first chapter. Hopefully things will be more ironed out from this point on. Enjoy!

*SM owns all

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The weekend went by too quickly as it usually did. Ryan and I eventually made our way to our rock on Saturday afternoon and spent sometime swimming in the lake and lounging around in the sun. Hearing dads howl was the only thing to reluctantly bring us home from our afternoon together. When I was younger the wolves began a simpler howl that they would use to round all the kids up when we were running around the Res. It wasn't so urgent, more of a reminder.

Sunday flew by between getting my books for school together and even starting an English assignment I was in no mood to begin. On Sunday night, Uncle Paul and Aunt Rachel came over for dinner with the kids. Uncle Paul was dad's best friend. They did everything together even still. They made a promise to stop phasing together back when they had first started out. Uncle Paul was my godfather and always had a soft spot for me. We used to go out on make shift "father-daughter dates" but stopped when his own daughters, Jessica and Shea, got to be a bit jealous.

PJ, Paul and Rachel's son, played on the same football team as Sean. He was quieter then the other guys in the pack and to be honest I never got to be that close with him. PJ was smart and reserved; always talking about the day he would begin his duty in protecting the tribe. It made the council members proud knowing how excited he was to one day take his role in the pack.

Jessica graduated from the Res school last year but stuck around to help Aunty Emily at her bakery. Jessica certainly knew her way around the kitchen and Emily's own daughter Veronica never put up a fuss about it.

"You help out mom all you want down there. I can't tell the different between flour and sugar so it's best to leave me out of it," she would say.

Shea was a year younger then me and the youngest of Paul and Rachel's kids. Shea has a bit of a "thing" with Ryan's younger brother Cole. Uncle Paul was a lot more cautious with her though and forbade them from dating. You couldn't really blame him but I know Cole was always jealous of Ryan and I. Everyone made it a habit to turn a blind eye at the bonfires and parties when the two of them would sneak off for some alone time. Even Aunty Rachel had longing in her eyes knowing how her daughter must feel.

We all grabbed a dish and headed out back to where we were going to sit down for dinner. The weather was still nice so we had to enjoy as much outdoor time as we possibly could.

"So boys," my father said, "how's preseason going? Team should be looking good again this year don't you think?"

The boys went into a bit of banter regarding the new football season and how the season opener was this coming Friday. The pack always took up a big portion of the stands and there was no doubt we wouldn't be there again this season.

"Have you started working on your English assignment yet, Kayley?" I heard from across the table. I looked up to see PJ waiting for me to answer his question. I had a mouth full of salad and wasn't sure if I knew he was speaking to me or someone else.

"Huh," I said while finishing the bit in my mouth. He repeated his questions with a hint of a smile, the most humor you'll get from this kid.

"Oh, yeah. Uh, I started it this afternoon but need to keep working through it. Are you in Mr. Tate's class too?" I asked, not really remembering him being there on Friday.

"I sat next to you in class Kayley. Rather, you sat next to me saying what a relief it was to finally know someone in one of your classes," he said, still looking over at me from across the table. My parents were looking at me and I couldn't help but notice my mothers _I can't believe your being so rude_ look.

Luckily, PJ was smirking, almost knowingly to what he was doing. I vaguely recall sitting next to him in class, but my mind was so foggy on Friday, I hardly remember what classes I was taking.

"Ah well it is a relief to have at least one friend in one of my classes," I said while turning back to my dinner.

We finished our dinner with a bit more banter, dad and Uncle Paul talking about the day the boys would phase. PJ was taller then Sean now and a spitting image of his father. Paul mentioned that Nessie's parents would be coming to La Push next week and I could feel everyone tense around me.

"Who told you that?" my mother said.

"Lizzie said something to Shea about it this morning. I'm sure they were going to tell us at the council meeting on Tuesday," Uncle Paul said. Lizzie was Avery's younger sister, and the youngest of Jake and Nessie's kids.

Dad and mum were both tense and I knew why. With more vampires being around, it would just be enough to send the boys who are already on the brink of phasing over the edge. I stole a glance at Sean who seemed to have paled since the conversation took a turn. No one said anything for a moment until my mother cleared her throat, asking everyone to help bring some dishes back inside.

There a was remorse filling the air and it was hard not to feel nervous for the boys since they knew their whole lives would be flipped upside down in the coming week. What surprised me most was the look on PJ's face. The one son who always knew this was what he wanted, looked as though his fate was pulled from under his feet. We exchanged hugs and kisses as the Lahote family left our house. I gave PJ an extra squeeze, telling him I would see him in class tomorrow. This time I would remember he was there. I retreated upstairs and knocked quietly on Sean's bedroom door. He was sitting at his window, staring out into the woods. He didn't turn when I walked in and sat on his bed, but I knew he could tell I was there.

I sat silently on his bed, knowing my words wouldn't be a comfort to him at this moment. He was my brother and I knew him well enough to know me being there for him was all he needed. I sat next to him for a while before standing and giving his shoulder a squeeze.

We had been waiting our whole lives for this to happen. Who knew if this would even happen the way we all thought? Whatever the case may be it was enough for us all to feel a change in the air that night. In our hearts, we knew this was the last Sunday dinner with our boys.

* * *

Tuesday came and went and we found out that yes, the Cullen's were coming for a visit. The council decided it would be best for them to stay in Forks and not break the treaty by visiting La Push. The Cullen family came every few years, but had been holding off to keep the boys from phasing too young. One of the Cullen's has visions and apparently she saw the inevitable so they planned the trip down from Alaska where they had settled the last 15 or so years.

Everyone agreed that their presence would be enough to start the phase in most of the boys and decided they would have a tribal walk near the boarder on Saturday morning. It was also decided that if the boys did phase, they would take the next two weeks off from school to bond and learn first hand the ways of the pack.

The days dragged on for the remainder of the week, everyone walking on eggshells around one another. Lunches were the worst. Our typically rowdy table was subdued, everyone sticking to small side conversation. A few days we shared memories of when we were kids, laughing at how fun it would be riding around on our father's backs when they were wolves. Avery tried to joke saying they would have to pick up the task soon but the boys had a hard time smiling at her attempt at humor.

When school on Thursday ended, Ryan and I decided to spend the rest of the day together. Our last chance before Saturday's sunrise. The boys were still planning on playing in their football game on Friday. It would be their last game and bitter sweet for us all. We walked hand in hand to the Jeep, Ryan making sure to open my door and getting me settled before going around to his side.

We drove hand in hand down to First Beach, the same beach were we had our first date. There was a chill in the air and fall was officially swirling in the air around us. We walked hand in hand down the beach, stopping from time to time to look out at the ocean or share a kiss. Ryan pulled me close to his side, whispering sweet things to me, which made me smile.

"Two weeks will fly by I promise," he said while placing a tender kiss to my forehead. We were down by the rocks now and I pulled his hand to join me up on one of the taller rocks. He had to help me to the top as always and I would pretend to pull him up from there. Knowing all too well he never needed my help.

I wanted to bring up my fears of seeing him for the first time after he phases, but it didn't feel right. How could I worry him with my feelings when it was his life about to change? The pinks and yellows of the sunset calmed my soul and we watched the sun slowly fall below the ocean's horizon.

The familiar howl of my dad rang through the air and I knew it was time to head home. Ryan pulled me tightly against his chest once more before sliding his way down the rock and onto the sand. I took a second before following suit, taking one last look over the ocean. Ryan's arms were warm and waiting when I slid down to him. He placed one quick kiss to my nose before placing his hand in mine.

Our walk back to the car was quiet but comforting. Ryan was mine and I knew things were only going to change for the better for us. In two weeks we will be able to start the rest of our lives without having to hold back. I couldn't help the jitters that were flying around my stomach now thinking about it. A smiled crept onto my lips but kept this one for me only.

Ryan was always confident in our relationship. He never doubted it wouldn't be me in the end. And in this moment I didn't doubt it either. Ryan was my soul mate and becoming his imprint would only confirm what we already knew.

Two weeks really couldn't come faster.

* * *

Friday night was now before us and the pack was pilling into our typical spot in the stands getting ready for the game to start. I sat with Uncle Seth and Aunt Michelle. The three of us wore matching Clearwater jerseys, just the same that Ryan had on himself. Ryan's twin brothers, Cole and Shane, were off rough housing somewhere with their friends much to their parent's dismay. Those boys had never picked up an interest in sports. It was already decided that tonight would be a night for families. After the game, everyone would separate and go home, unlike our usual game night celebrations.

My parents were lucky to only have to worry about Sean phasing in the morning. Uncle Seth and Uncle Embry both had three boys each that were showing clear signs. Three! Whether or not they phase doesn't make it less stressful in this movement. I could tell Aunt Michelle was anxious by her demeanor so I tried to keep the small talk to a minimum and let her have some piece and quiet before the game began.

Both teams put quiet the fight up that night, but the Res came out on top 21-17. As the game ended, the boys spent a bit longer in the locker, probably taking their time to soak in that this very well could be their last game. PJ was the first out, freshly showered with his belongings all packed up in his bag. The Lahote's said a quick goodbye and I flashed PJ a smile, silently wishing him good luck for the next morning. PJ and I had actually gotten along better this week then I thought we would. He had quiet the sarcastic sense of humor and I was surprised at how smart he was. I found myself copying off him more times then I'd admit in our one week together in class.

Ryan and Sean came out together next. Both boys were showered and had their things but they both looked more banged up then PJ had. I could tell Sean was upset. He loved football and will be devastated to have to stop playing. My mom took him in for a hug and my father gave him a knowing clap on the back. I waited for Ryan to do the same with his parents before going in for my own hug and kiss.

We knew we had to be brief as both our families were anxious to get home. Neither of us said anything, but we didn't need to. In that moment I felt more love and need then I had ever felt before. I leaned up to place a soft kiss to his lips and felt Ryan's lips quiver beneath me. The pull in my chest was aching as I pulled away from Ryan, but I knew if I stayed any longer we'd both come undone. I placed one last kiss to his cheek and gave him a wink before turning away.

I had to replay his words in my head on the drive back home. I replayed them over and over again, wishfully thinking that if I repeated them enough they would be true.

 _Two weeks will fly by I promise._

* * *

I was awoken on Saturday morning by Sean who was slowly brushing my hair back from my face. My clock read just after 4 a.m. and I could tell it was still dark through my curtains. He whispered to me not to get up and that him and dad were leaving for the boarder now. I wanted so badly to go with him and make sure things would just be ok, but he gave me a knowing smile.

"I am excited you know," he said looking down at me. His nerves had seemed to calm down and I felt relief wash over me. I leaned up to give him one last hug before he stood up to leave.

"See you in a couple of weeks," he said before quietly closing my door again. I wanted to get up and go downstairs to where I knew my mum was inevitable either cooking or cleaning to stay busy, but then sleep overtook me again as my anxieties lessened.

* * *

"Kayls honey, it's almost 10. Are you ready to wake up?" my mothers voice called softly from my door. I shot up at her words, nearly jumping from the bed.

"10 a.m.?!" I said quite frantically. I wanted to be awake and waiting to hear the new howls if and when it happened. As if she knew what I was thinking she came to take a seat on the edge of my bed. She clasped my hand in hers and confirmed my thoughts.

"I counted ten new howls," she said looking me directly in the eye. She had a coy smile and I knew she must have a sense of relief knowing we were no longer in this weird waiting limbo with the boys. I was still stuck on what she had said though. There were ten boys. Ten howls. This shouldn't have surprised me but I also could not kept my mouth from hanging wide open at the thought.

It happened. It really happened.

* * *

A/N what are you guys thinking?! Worth continuing? I will anyway but always a boost of confidence to have reviews and followers.

Enjoy!


	3. Chapter 3

NinjaHugger-thank you for the review!

Enjoy!

SM owns all

* * *

By Saturday evening we heard from Sam. The boys tribal walk began at 5:00 a.m., just a half hour before sun rise. The Cullen family met the pack in the clearing, far enough away that no one would be in danger, but close enough to assist the phase. My mother had pools of unshed tears in her eyes while telling me how it all happened, but I was trying my best to hold in a laugh as she spoke to me. Apparently, once they reached the boarder, Embry's son Charlie almost immediately phased just from the close proximity to the vampires.

This is when things got really interesting, mum said. Within seconds, the jealousy of Charlie being the first new wolf spread like wild fire amongst the boys and they were all busting out of their shorts left and right.

Cole was the last to phase. He became nervous at the last second and was trying his best to calm himself down; unsure if this was what he really wanted. Shane was quick to notice though, whining at him in his wolf form, longing for his twin to join him. Mom also hinted that one of the Cullen's may have altered his mood to make him angrier then he was to have it happen quickly. Whatever the case may be, our pack of protector has grown by ten and things around La Push would certainly be changing.

* * *

My father and Uncle Quil were sent back to patrol the Res while the others went on their two-week bonding trip. There hadn't been a threat of a vampire on the Res in almost 6 years so having the two of them taking turns on patrol was more then fine. Quil was on patrol first that day and I was more then relieved to see my father walk in the house on Sunday afternoon.

I was in sitting in the living room watching a movie with mum when she jolted in her spot.

"Your fathers home," she said with a knowing smile. My mother always knew when my dad was near. Their imprint bond was like a personal rope tying them together. It was like whenever he was near, he'd pull a bit tighter on the rope, letting her know he was on his way.

Once, he tried to surprise us on a family vacation at the Grand Canyon, which he wasn't able to come on because of work. We had been hiking for almost 3 hours in the desert when my mum looked to us with a huge smile plastered on her face. When we asked her about it she just said, "you'll see," not elaborating any more then that. Sure enough about an hour later, our father was surprising us back at our camp sight, informing us he was able to get a few last minute days off and figured he'd join us.

I let my mother greet my father at the door, knowing they would want a minute of privacy before I came in. Watching them from the couch, seeing how my father was so gentle and loving with my mother left a ping in my chest thinking of my own wolf.

 _My wolf._ A smile escaped my lips thinking of when I would see him next. I would have to plan something special for our first moments together. Someplace private. Someplace beautiful.

After a few minutes I got up to join my mother and father in the kitchen. Dad reached out and pulled me into a big hug. He smelled of woods and smoke, my favorite combination. We all took a seat around the table, mom turning on the kettle to make some tea. We spent most of the weekend cooking up a storm so mom pulled out a casseroles and rolls for an early dinner.

Dad filled us in on a first hand tale of the events that took place the day before. He couldn't help but hold his head high while telling us that Sean was the first to phase following Charlie. He said he was a natural. Once the rest of the boys turned, they took them for their first tour of the Res as wolves.

Mom and dad held hands across the table as he got lost sharing different details of how the boys acclimated to their new second skin. His pride was strong and it only made me excited for these next few weeks to fly by. He explained to us how over the next few weeks, the boys would master the art of phasing back and forth, staying calm in tense situations, and even practice chasing the Cullen's around. That idea came right from Dr. Cullen himself saying, "What better practice then to try and catch the real thing."

The boys would stay at the cabin near the Seattle boarder that Seth and Michelle bought when they were first married. It was built on a beautiful lake, nothing fancy, but big enough to hold many families at a time. I grew up in that cabin. Ryan's family always took Sean and I with them for a week in the summer. That is until we were in high school and my parents didn't want me vacationing with my boyfriends family. Sean still went until though to spend time with Ryan and the twins.

Dad continued to fill us in different tidbits of information regarding the boys training. He said they came up with a few fun obstacle courses and were planning to have a big celebratory dinner to finish off their training. The next piece of information I wasn't sure if I heard correctly and asked him to repeat himself before I got my hopes up.

"If all goes well with the boys, they'll try and have them back on the Res by next weekend. But they all have to pass each test to make sure they have their phasing under control before being part of the community again. And to encourage one another, no one leaves until they all pass," he said.

Makes sense, I thought. This new information had me giddy in my chair. I asked to be excused and ran to my room, grabby my cell phone before plopping down on my bed. I immediately dialed Avery's number. I wanted to know one, if she knew the boys were maybe coming home next week and two, what I should plan for Ryan and I's first day together.

She picked up on the first ring. She had a six sense for this sort of thing; it freaked me out sometimes how quickly she'd answer. I told her about the boys which she already knew. She spent the day with her grandmother in Port Angels who filled her in on the packs plan.

She insisted we go shopping after school one day to buy new outfits for next weekend. She said I needed something sexy since it would be the _first outfit for the rest of my life_. Blah blah blah. I knew what she meant. I did want to impress Ryan. Make him understand that I want him as much as he wants me. We came up with the idea of setting up a picnic at our rock. Avery would help set things up before we got there, making it a bit more romantic then I would I'm sure.

Our plan was to go shopping on Thursday. Avery said she was also interested in buying a new outfit.

"What! Maybe someone will imprint on me too," she said. I wished I were there in person when she said this. Avery is not one to get embarrassed or shy, but by god I could feel the blush on her cheeks when she said it.

"You've always said imprinting would be the worst thing to happen to you!" I said. This was a constant argument between us, her on one end of the spectrum while I was on the other.

"I still think that but if it happens it happens. We all know I can't do shit about that. And if it does happen I want to look damn good for whoever gets to be the luckiest man alive."

Ahhh, there's the Avery I know and love.

We wrapped up our conversation, telling her I would see her in the morning. I took a quick shower before hoping into bed, only to dream of seeing my wolf, _my imprint,_ at our rock next weekend.

* * *

When Thursday came around, I was more then ready for a night off the Res. Although it was only the second week of school, it felt like a never-ending marathon. The council gave the school the same excuse they always gave back in the day to make sure the boys were not in trouble for missing school, but that didn't stop the questions, stares, and uncalled for remarks from the other kids.

" _My dad was telling me something similar happened when he was in school and the council did the same thing! Covered the whole thing up! That's why he's never liked any of them. Freaks me out too a bit if you ask me_ ," some girl in my English said who was sitting behind me. I knew there was no point in defending the guys, but it still bothered me to have random kids being so rude.

When the last bell rang, I grab my things quickly and made my way to Avery's car. We told our parents we were going straight there from school, so we spent no time dilly dallying and hopped right on the highway. It took us about an hour but we enjoyed singing our little hearts out the whole way there.

We jumped from shop to shop, popping in and out of little boutiques tying on tons of different outfits. Avery insisted I buy this floral romper that she says make my butt look good. It was breezy and the back is low, showing quite a bit of skin. Avery insisted it looked great, saying I would have a bathing suit on underneath anyway. I had to admit, it looked great on and could already tell what Ryan's reaction would be.

She settled herself on buying a deep yellow dress that fell just to her mid thigh. Anything would look great on her but this dress was specifically sewn for her. I tried to pry more on Avery's feeling on imprinting but she didn't want to let on more then what she said on the phone. Between the ten boys, her chances were fairly high. There were only eight of us daughters, that including Quil and Claire's daughter Lily who was only 4 years old.

Avery and I discussed the final details for Saturday (if Saturday would be the day). Her and I would go to the rock and set things up around noontime. I would have him meet me there for 12:30 and Avery would disappear as soon as she smelt his scent in the woods.

After a quick dinner and drive back to La Push, I filled mom in on my plans for Saturday. Dad said that the plan was for the boys to be back for breakfast and a bonfire would take place that evening. Mom was part of the food prep committee so she said she would need my help on Saturday morning before I left. I happily agreed, always enjoying helping out for big celebrations like this.

Before I made my way up to my room, mom pulled me aside asking if she could talk with me for a moment. She opened the front door, taking a seat on the porch swing to the left. I followed suit, knowing the conversation we were about to have. We both looked out towards the ocean. We lived high enough that you could just see the water beyond the trees. Mom always insisted we had one of the best views on the Res. At times like this I believed her.

"You're excited for Saturday then?" she said. Not looking in my direction but loud enough for me to keep on.

"I am. Not just to see Ry, but to see all the boys. It'll be interesting having two wolves in the house don't you think?" I said, giving mum a warm smile. She looked over towards me and it couldn't help but acknowledge how beautiful my mother was. She was the poster woman of the Quileute Tribe. I couldn't tell you how many times people asked if she was my older sister; she would only laugh and tell them no but honestly she really did most of the time.

"It will for a while, won't it? I'd imagine your father will try to settle down sooner then later but I'm happy they'll have sometime together before that happens." My father's wolf retirement was something we knew would be coming. It would be a surreal day though for sure. He had been a wolf my whole life. It would be interesting to see how he changes when he stops.

I didn't say anything, waiting for what I knew would be next. "I know it's not what you want to hear but I can't go into this weekend without having this conversation with you," she said. I held my eye roll back, still facing the front of our yard.

"I know, I know mum. And I appreciate you worrying. I just don't want you or anyone else worrying about us. There's a pull in my chest when I'm around him. I feel it when he's gone, it's like an empty whole in my heart," I said. Looking right at her now, "Mum I know you're worried, but just trust me on this. I really do have a good feeling about it," I say.

Her smile didn't meet her eyes. I knew she wanted me to be more practical and I was deep in my heart but why worry about something I couldn't change? We wouldn't be sure until Saturday so I wasn't about to get myself worked up now.

I kissed her cheek before getting up and heading inside. My family wanted what was best for me and so did I. It would be Ryan. He would be my _imprint._ If the spirits didn't want us together at this point they would have found a way to pull us apart before now.

* * *

My alarm clocked sounded at 8:00 a.m. that Saturday morning. I wanted to have enough time to shower, shave my legs, and primp myself up before 11:30 when Avery and I were meeting at the rock. I had also told mum I would help her do some cooking before I left so I would have to be quick with my time.

I jumped from bed and made my way quickly to the shower. I made sure to spend adequate time washing my hair and body. Also, making sure not to leave a stray unwanted hair behind from my body. If today went as planned, who knows how far Ryan and I would take our relationship.

As I was rinsing the lavender mint shampoo from my hair, I gasped suddenly, feeling like the wind was knocked out of me. As I caught my breath the feeling in my chest did not go away. Instead it was replaced with a tight strain. I tried not to miss a beat, continuing letting the soap flow from my hair. I kept a clear mind while I finished up in their, knowing full well what that feeling had been. _He_ was here. At my house. I pushed the thought aside; I had too much to do this morning to get lost in that feeling.

I went into my room and put on a simple black sting bikini underneath the romper I bought from the store the other day. It looked nice with my tan skin and left little to the imagination, as Ryan would say. I slipped on some simple sandals and made sure my beach bag was packed. I put my long hair into a loose braid that fell over my shoulder while contemplating putting on a bit of mascara. I decided not to since we would be swimming and gathered my stuff to bring it downstairs.

I was anxious to ask mom who had been outside while I was in the shower but lost my thought upon seeing Sean. I stopped dead in my tracks. As if he wasn't large enough! Sean had to have grown another inch or so and easily gained 15 pound of muscle. I would think he was intimidating if he wasn't still my goofy brother. His face lit up into a smile when he saw me and all about ran to lift me into his arms. He spun me around the foyer as if I was light as a feather. I giggled into his chest, slapping at him to put me down.

"Well I'll be damned big bro. You are quite the man now," I said playfully. He gave me a smirk before flexing his arm muscles.

"Ya, you can say that again," while kissing each bicep. Boy was he cocky. We joined our parents in the kitchen. They both seemed so relieved to have Sean back in the house. I joined mum at the counter and helped her with some desserts while Sean filled us in on their trainings. Dad pretended like he didn't know every last detail while mom and I ouh'd and ah'd as he went. Of course father had kept us in the loop during the week, making sure mum was never too nervous about what was going on.

"Kayls, you better get going if you want to make it to the rock on time," my father said. 11:45 already?! I was late. I washed my hands of the cookie batter I was making, placed a kiss on everyone's cheek before heading for the door. I gave my mother a reassuring look before bounding out the door.

* * *

Avery was there before me, what a surprise. She had already began setting up and I rolled my eyes watching her try to light candles in the soft breeze by the lake.

"These damn candles won't stay lit," she said while throwing one into the forest. I told her not to worry too much about candles. Knowing me I would start an unintentional forest fire. I sat on the tapestry she set up on the side of the lake with a picnic basket filled with sandwiches and lemonade. My nerves were making my hands shake at this point so I left Avery to do what she does best.

Just as I was finally feeling settled and my nerves begin to calm, Avery called out that she could feel someone coming. I nearly jumped on the spot. I smoothed out my clothes and grabbed Avery's things that she would be taking with her. She had an unsure look on her face and she walked over to me and I gave her a questioning look.

"It's nothing," she said. "It's just that I sensed him coming before I actually smelt him." I gave her a look but she just said, "I'm sure him being a wolf has changed his scent is all!" She gave me a quick hug before running off in the direction of First Beach. She was going straight there to help set up for tonight.

I stood here awkwardly waiting for what felt like forever. I assumed he would be closer then he was with how fast Avery got out of here but I stood there waiting a bit longer before I saw him. For a moment I was breathless. I was also definitely speechless and I thank god he was too far away at that point to have to say anything to him. He wasn't looking at me as he walked over. I knew he wouldn't until he was right in front of me. He always said how he'd want to be holding me in his arms as it happened.

My chest was tight in anticipation. Jitters were flowing freely through me and I almost laughed at loud unintentionally. As soon as he was close enough, I could feel Ryan's eyes on me. Starting at my toes, he scanned his way up my body. He reached out and grabbed my hand. I was taken aback by his warmth, but let me hand melt nicely into his. I heard him take a quick breath as he looked over my outfit. _Yes!_ This was the moment I had been waiting for. I was staring at his face now, waiting for him to look at me.

"Close your eyes," he said softly. Not sure why but also not questioning him I slowly closed my eyes. Instinctively I leaned closer, tilting my head towards his. Our lips met in a burn of passion. There was no holding us back in this moment. Every fear, every want, every desire was flowing through my lips and into Ryan. I wound my hands into his hair while he reached under my bum to lift me onto his hips. I fastened my legs around his waist, making it easier to deepen our kiss.

Ryan's arms tightened around my waist and I had to turn to gasp for air. Ryan continued down, licking his way down my neck. His lips on my body were setting me on fire. I needed more of him. He knew what I wanted and I could tell he needed me too. Ryan turned back to capture my lips once more in his. This time softer. A caress. We stayed that way for a moment. Our lips holding one another. _My favorite feeling._ This was it. This was the moment of truth.

I pulled my face back just enough to see his face, still close enough to feel the warmth of his breath lingering on my face. Ryan's eyes captured mine then. I looked deep into the pools of brown that I knew like the back of my hand. The same brown eyes I've loved my whole life. The eyes I fell in love with at the young age of 13. The eyes that would find mine in a busy hallway at school. The eyes that would flirt with me across the dinner table. The eyes that would express their desires in the heat of the moment.

These eyes I then realized, were not the eyes of my soul mate after all.

We stayed this way. Arms tangled together, my legs wrapped around his waist, staring into one another's eyes. Many moments went by of us staring at each other, silently hoping our fate would somehow change. It wasn't until a single salty tear fell from the corner of Ryan's eye that my worst fears were confirmed. He made no move to wipe the tear away and I was too stunned to comment on it.

Ryan slowly lowered me down to the blanket, realizing neither of our legs were strong enough to support us in that moment. I pulled my legs to my chest, staring out into the lake. My deepest fear, my coldest thoughts were at the surface. I gasped aloud; suddenly realizing I hadn't taken a breath. I felt Ryan's eyes on mine, not having the heart to return his gaze. What was I to do in that moment? Every critical comment I had ever heard suddenly came rushing into my head. _Be careful with your heart. You just don't know. You know what could happen._

An instinct I wasn't sure I had suddenly kicked in and I found myself moving towards the picnic basket and began pulling out food for the both of us.

"I packed us some lunch. You should eat something you must be starving," I said just over a whisper. I was surprised that he didn't protest while I put a sandwich and chips together on a plate. I poured him some lemonade as well and turned to place the meal in front of him. Robotically he reached down and took a bite from his sandwich. I had no appetite, I felt a bit nauseous to be honest, but found myself doing the same and taking a bit of the turkey sandwich. We sat silently finishing off our sandwiches and drinks.

What was there to say?

 _Nothing._

Ryan stood from the blanket and held his hand out to mine. I took it without question and we began to strip down to our bathing suits. I could feel Ryan's eyes on my body and I had to try my hardest to push those thoughts aside. _I am not his imprint,_ I thought. He cannot have me in that way anymore. Without looking at him I made my way towards the water, wading in until the water reached my waist. I dove under, letting the cool water rush around my body, freeing the feeling of suffocation.

I swam around a bit then, distracting myself the moment. When I was finally finished, I looked to Ryan who was floating on his back, eyes closed and basking in the sun. I reached out to grab my hand; surprising him and making him spin around. I knew we needed to get this over with. It was neither of our faults. The spirits were the ones to let us down. We were foolish to think we'd be so lucky but we couldn't dwell on the past right now. We need to do this now before the floodgates opened and there was no turning back.

Before I could get my words together Ryan spoke. "Never doubt my love for you, Kayley. I love you so much." His eyes were boring into mine, not letting me look away from him.

All I could get out was, "I love you, too." I moved closer, wanting to feel the heat from Ryan's body on mine on last time. I wrapped my arms around him and felt him place a small kiss to neck. We let go as quickly as we came together and walked out of the lake. This place that I loved felt different to me now. It no longer felt sacred.

We gathered up our things before toweling off and putting our clothes back on. Ryan grabbed one of the bags of things, insisting to help carry things back to my house. I knew everyone would be down at the bonfire already so we wouldn't have to deal with anyone's questions just yet. I couldn't think about that now. I had to focus on not breaking down until Ryan was far enough away to not hear me.

We made the walk back to my house in somewhat silence. Occasionally saying random things here and there but nothing memorable enough to note. For a while we walked hand in hand but stopped when our hearts began to ache. When my house began to peak through the trees I knew this would be the moment of truth, the final goodbye. We made our way to my back deck and we both put our bags down. I reached for the key hidden in the planter but Ryan stopped me before I got there. He had a peculiar look. One I knew instantly.

"I need to go. I'm so sorry, Kayley." And with that, Ryan ran from the deck. He ran from me. He ran from us. I went to chase after him, calling his name, making him stop and come back to me, but then I heard it.

His howl. It was the howl of a wolf.

The howl of a wolf that was no longer _mine_.


	4. Chapter 4

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SM owns all

* * *

All of the air rushed out of my lungs as soon as I heard Ryan's howl. This wasn't happening. _This did not happen._

I dropped to my knees outside of my back sliding door, which led to our kitchen. I hadn't planned for this. I sat back on my knees, gasping for air. It was too hard. I couldn't breathe. Air refused to enter my lungs. My brain was screaming to take a breath but my body was protesting. I kept replaying the moments of this afternoon in my head.

 _Our passionate kisses._

 _My hands wrapped around Ryan's neck._

 _Looking into his eyes and feeling the same love I had always had for him but realizing the pull was no longer there._

 _The cold water wrapped around my skin._

 _Our walk back to my house._

 _Ryan leaving me here. Alone._

My eyelids fell heavy. Was it the lack of oxygen or exhaustion from holding myself together all day? I fell to my side, staring out into the familiar woods beyond the yard. As my eyes fluttered shut, I swore I heard one more pained cry out in the woods.

I could hear voices whispering around me but could not make out exactly what they were saying. One, two, three people maybe? I was warm. I could feel several blankets laid over me. I must be inside, but how did I get here? My mind was foggy but I did not have the strength to think on it now.

"She's up," I head my father say, knowing he heard the change in my breathing. I wasn't ready to open my eyes so instead I rolled over to face the inside of the couch. I kept my eyes sealed but it was clear I was awake. I felt my mother's soft presence down by my feet. I pulled them up to make room for her to sit and felt her warm arms grab hold to my legs.

"Sweetie," she said. I simply shook my head, still not opening my eyes. Knowing full well as soon as I did I would be overcome with tears that I had been holding out on releasing.

"It's late, why don't we get you upstairs to get some sleep?" she said. Before I could make a move I felt warm arms lift me from the couch. I jumped at his touch but was relieved it was only Sean.

"Don't worry, sis. I've got you," he whispered into my hair. I only nodded. My voice was gone. All of my emotion was gone. Sean put me down on the bed and pushed me over to make room for him. It reminded me of when I was little and we would insist on having sleepovers. We would beg mum and dad, which they would reluctantly agree to. We'd stay up all night, building forts or playing cards with a flashlight under the covers.

Only this time was different. There was no playing. No laughing. Just me lying there, a shell on the brink of falling apart. Sean was there holding me together and I could tell he felt that if he left me I would break.

He didn't say anything as I drifted off to sleep which I was grateful for. Tomorrow I would need to deal with all of this. There would be no avoiding it. I would take tonight to stay in my shell, grieving the loss of love I had not even 12 hours ago.

The love I still had.

The love that was being ripped out from inside of me.

* * *

I could smell my mother's muffins as soon as I woke up. The smell was teasing my nose, chocolate and blueberry. Sean's heavy arm was still wrapped around my shoulder and I couldn't believe he had spent the night.

I laid there staring out the side window. It was light out and the sun was high. I knew it was still early by the sound of the birds near my window. I let out a long sigh with a sharp intake of breath. I couldn't help my lips begin to tremble. Silent tears at last began to fall down my face. I tried to blink them back but it only made them fall easier. Before I could stop myself, the meltdown that had been on the brink had began.

As quietly as I could I unwrapped myself from Sean's arms. I quickly made my way to our bathroom, looking for my first moments alone to finally let myself fall apart. The warm tears fell and fell and I made no move to wipe them away. What was the point? I wrapped my arms around my legs, pulling them closer to my chest. I rested my head against them, letting the tears fall to my knees.

The thoughts began to swim through my head, unyielding and unwanted.

 _How could I have been so stupid?_ Everyone _warned me. Everyone! I was too blind to listen to them. What would my family say? Where was Ryan now? Had he known he wasn't going to imprint on me? What about the others? What would they think? I can only imagine what Uncle Sam was saying to Ryan now…_

My mom would be the worst. She wouldn't have to say anything and I knew she wouldn't. She'll give me the, "I told you so," look. She'll try and be comforting and understand by I would know she was quietly reprimanding me in her head. Dad will just avoid me. He was never good at this sort of thing. My dad and Uncle Sam were the first two wolves and he was on the front lines for the Sam and Leah breakup. My mom has mentioned it before, wearingly. I knew he would comfort me and probably try and kill Ryan for hurting me.

I was surprised when no one came to the bathroom door yet. I stayed on the floor crying for what felt like hours and it probably was. I knew I should get up and shower, extend my alone time a bit longer. I turned the knobs, letting the hot water take way. I waited until the steam filled the bathroom before stepping into the tub. I stood directly under the water, letting it wash over my face and wipe away the tears. The water slowly cleaned off the lingering smells from yesterday, Ryan's woodsy smell and the lake.

I shampooed my hair and washed my body, making sure to clean away an old memory with each scrub to my skin. I was raw. My shoulders were scratched from the soap-less loofa and my hair was drying out from the scalding waters. But I couldn't turn the water off yet. Getting dressed and leaving the comfort of the bathroom would be what comes next. Facing reality was just outside the door.

My logical thinking kicked into gear. I had to make a plan. I would have to leave this bathroom. I would have to face my family. I would have to face my friends and go back to school. It was Sunday. I was a junior. There was no skipping. No pretending like this hadn't happened.

I would not be the girl whose hearts break caused families to fall out with one another. I would have to hold my head high and not let anyone know I was hurting. I had to be strong. This could not put a rift between the packs. I wouldn't let that happen. Ryan and I would always be in each other's lives and I would have to learn to save my feelings for when I was alone.

I spent another few minutes in the shower, letting the last of my tears wash away. I turned the water cold and tried to shake myself alive under the freezing water. My father would do this when he was tired from endless patrols. It worked for him and I was determined to let it work for me. Hopefully it would take some of the swelling from my face. I turned the water off and stepped out of the tub. I wrapped a towel around my body, looking into the mirror. I wouldn't say I looked worse then I thought but I certainly didn't look great. I could need some makeup to cover the dark circles under my eyes and maybe something to even out my red face.

I made my way back to my bedroom and was glad to see Sean had left. I couldn't hear anyone downstairs but was sure they were there. I put on some ripped jeans and white tank top. The weather was nice and maybe I could escape for a walk on the beach this afternoon. I put a brush through my hair and left it long and wet to hang down my back. I covered my face in makeup, applying until I looked like the girl I was yesterday when I woke up. With one last look I headed downstairs.

Sure enough, mum was sitting in the living room when I got to the bottom of the stairs. He didn't say anything at first and I'm sure it's because she was surprised to see me. I went to join her on the couch and didn't shy away from her embrace. Her touch was soothing the way any mother's touch was. I stayed with her in this moment, letting her comfort me the best way she knew how.

I pulled back after a letting her calm my nerves.

"I love you," was all I was able to say. My throat was nearly closed and I swallowed down the lump that was threatening to undo me.

"I love you too, sweetheart," she said with a small smile. She stood and pulled my hand to follow her into the kitchen. I sat down at the table and let her heat the kettle for some tea. She put a blueberry muffin into the microwave for me. She was keeping herself busy while we sat in uneasy silence. I slowly picked at my food, surprised at the appetite I had. My mother stood at the counter and I could tell she was trying to find the nerve to begin a conversation. To save her the internal debate I spoke first.

"So, how was the bonfire last night?" I asked. I wondered how the events took place.

"We didn't stay very long, just long enough to see most of the boys get to the beach. They've grown quiet a bit. You should see Ben. He's grown about 5 inches I'd say." She wasn't necessarily looking at me as she spoke. Ben was Embry and Aunty Ava's youngest son. Although he was also 15, he was always smaller then the other guys. I nodded along to what she was saying.

"Hunny, do you want to tell me what happened?" she asked. I didn't want to and she knew that. But I couldn't avoid this.

"He didn't imprint on me, mum. We stayed at the lake for a bit just spending some time together and then he walked me back home. I'm not sure how I ended up on the deck and I'm sorry if I scared you by not coming to the beach," I said. Did I really have to explain this?

She seemed to accept this answer and did not press for more information. I wanted to know more about the others. Had they heard what happened?

"So everyone knows then?" I ask.

"We heard Ryan's howl, hunny. He must have phased after he dropped you off and your father was on patrol. He sent PJ who was also on shift to get me from the beach. Your brother and I drove home as soon as we heard. I spoke with Aunty Emily this morning and it seems like most of the other know but I think they had quiet the busy party last night," she said.

"Busy how?" I asked. She bit at her lip, probably thinking she had said too much already. But I was curious now and needed to know what she meant. I continue to look at her, pressing the matter.

"Well, right before I was leaving there was a bit of a commotion," trailing off there.

"What happened, mum?" I asked. There was a pit in my stomach now. My new fears were there and I knew they were about to be confirmed.

"A few of the older boys imprinted, which wasn't so shocking just more of a commotion then anything," she said. Older boys were what she said.

"Who imprinted mum?" I demanded, speaking louder then I intended. Shocked flashed across her face, knowing what she thought I was thinking.

"No, hun! Not Ryan, I shouldn't have said it like that," she rushed out. "Nate imprinted on Jessica and Charlie on Veronica. I left right after and haven't heard anything else."

I let this sink in for a moment. I shouldn't have been surprised. Veronica was secretly in love with Charlie. She must be feeling ecstatic. And Nate was Uncle Jake's son so it's not surprising for him to have imprinted, but I'm shocked it was on Jessica.

"I wonder how Jessica's handling that," I said seemingly aloud. My mother cast a slight smile, knowing exactly what I meant. Paul's eldest daughter Jessica was a mighty handful. Everyone said she was a mini Paul. She worked at Emily's bakery and on the weekend's spent her time partying in Seattle. She had never had a boyfriend but that did not mean she was unfamiliar with guys.

"I believe that is what spiked the commotion," mum said. I finished the last of my muffin and took a final sip from my tea when we heard dad come through the back door. I could hear him before I could see him. He was calling for my mother, with a frantic look on his face.

"Kim, you won't believe what jus-," he stopped when he saw me sitting there. "Oh! Hi Hun, your up!" he said making his way over to me. I let him give me a strong hug. This was more welcoming then I had anticipated.

"Hi dad," I said into his chest.

"What's going on?" mum said from the other side of the kitchen.

"Oh, it's uh, it's nothing I can tell you late-," he said but I cut him off.

"No, no I'll step out. I was thinking of taking a walk down to the beach. Get some fresh air," I said.

"Sure, hunny. Be safe," mum said and padded over to give my temple a quick kiss. Dad did the same and I ran upstairs to put my shoes on. I tried to listen quietly to my parent's conversation but they were speaking in hushed tones I was sure.

"He what?!" my mother's voice carried up the stairs. My ears peeked hearing this and I could hear my father tell her to quiet down until I left the house. This didn't stop her before she said what came next.

"Our son imprinted on a child and you want me to be quiet?!" she basically shrieked. I grabbed by jacket, not wanting to hear anymore about my brother right now. Or about anyone for that matter. I ran down the stairs, not bothering to yell that I was leaving. My father would know I heard their conversation. Sean had imprinted. Charlie had imprinter. Nate had imprinted. I'm sure Ryan would be next.

Why was everyone getting their happy ending except for me?

* * *

I took off for First Beach as soon as I closed the door. It was a far walk but I needed the air and to clear my head. It smelled of pine and the sun was high. I could hear the waves in the distance and was instantly soothed at the sound. I had done my best this morning trying to convince my mother I was ok. She could see it in my eyes but I did the best I could.

I was glad I wore my sunglasses to hide behind as I made my way down the road. La Push was small and I would regret letting anyone I came across see the regret in my eyes. I was only maybe a quarter of the way to the beach when I saw it coming I heard the first car coming. It was a small red Carola, which I knew to be a girl from school. I gave her a wave as she passed by, hoping she wouldn't stop to chat. Thankfully she didn't so I continued on my way.

I was nearly to the beach when I saw it coming. The jeep. Ryan's jeep. The jeep I used to love seeing, riding in, sitting in, just hanging out in. Now it was like a big spider, you see it and are too afraid to move but are freaking out cause it is getting closer and you can't help but watch in horror.

I know this was not Ryan's fault. He would have chosen me if he could, I knew it. But the spirits had other plans and our fates were altered. He was my boyfriend for so long and I love him so much still. These feelings won't go away over night and seeing Ryan right now is the last thing I wanted to do today.

I watched him coming towards me and slow down, as he got closer. It came to a stop a little ways ahead of me. Ryan jumped out of the jeep and started his way towards me. He was frowning and looked awful, like he hadn't slept much either. Out of impulse I tried to just walk past him but he quickly grabbed a hold of my arm before I could go anywhere. His touch sent a tingling sensation down my arm; it was enough to make me melt on the spot. He turned me so I was facing him completely but I didn't have to guts to actually look at him, so I stared at my feet. He didn't say anything for a while, but held onto my arm. His hand was burning and I couldn't take it any longer so I yanked it away.

I finally looked up at him and he was staring straight at me. He was staring so intently at me as if he was trying to read my mind. Having him be there was getting to be too much. I could feel the tears about to fall so I quickly turned around and started walking again.

"Kayley stop, please." Ryan yelled from behind me. He ran to catch up and was next to me in no time. I just kept walking trying to keep the last bit of dignity I had. "Kayley we should talk. I know your hurting and so am I but we need to be on the same page," he said. There was pain in his voice and it was so hard to hear him like this. I wanted to turn around and hold him and tell him everything would be ok. But I couldn't do that.

"I think we should take some space Ryan. Just a few days to clear our heads and wrap ourselves around what happened." I spoke a lot quieter this time. I knew he could hear me by his quick intake of breath. I was so drained by this; all I wanted was to be alone. He looked over at me and slowly reached his hand up to touch my face. He gently wiped a few tears that I hadn't realized were falling down my face. His touch was too much but I made no move to stop him.

"Kayley I am so sorry. I can't believe I let this happen. It was irresponsible of me to hurt you like this. It kills me to know your upset." I looked up at him then. There were pools of tears in his eyes and a look of knowing regret. This was neither of our faults but we should have known all along.

I took his hand from my face but didn't let go. Instead, I let our hands drop to our sides, holding one another. "We just need some time, Ryan. We'll be ok. We will." I said, giving his hand a squeeze. I sounded like my mother trying to convince him but I needed this conversation to be over. I needed him to leave before I broke again. I promised myself in the shower that breaking down was only allowed to happen when I was alone. I would not do it in public. I would not do it in front of Ryan.

I took a step back, letting go of his hand. "I'm heading to the beach to clear my head. I'll see you at school?" I asked. I knew I couldn't tell him to leave me alone, even if that is what I wanted. My statement shook him out of his thoughts.

"Yes, tomorrow then. Do you still want a ride?" he asked.

"Sure, I'll see you then," and with that I walked away.

I didn't wait for his response. The conversation was over.

* * *

Review review review please! Sorry for the wait on this one but next chapter will be up tomorrow!


	5. Chapter 5

Guyss! I'm so happy you're enjoying this! Keeping checking out the story and leave a review letting me know how you feel! x

SM owns all

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My steps picked up the pace as soon as I heard Ryan's car door shut. _What the hell was that?! Are you kidding me?!_

I left my house for about 2 seconds and I just so happen to bump into Ryan. He just wanted to talk but couldn't he see the pain in my eyes? I could not be near him right now. I kept my head down and walked quickly, waiting until I could climb down the rocks leading to First Beach. I needed this time alone to clear my head. The familiar smells were calming my slight trembles. I stayed down the beach to the left. There was a small alcove near the rocks that I took shelter in. I could hear the screams of children playing. I'm sure the beach would be packed today with the weather so nice.

I laid out the blanket I brought and grabbed my book. Trying to take my mind off things for a bit I lay down onto my stomach with the ocean in front of me. I let myself get lost in my book for a while. The sun was warm on my back and I let the warmth wrap around and comfort me. After a while, I put the book aside and stared out to the ocean. There were larger waves today then usual. I looked down the beach and saw a few people out with boogie boards and other water toys. Thankfully I wore a bathing suit and decided to hop in.

When I was younger we spent all of our time at the beach. Dad had to buy me a wetsuit for the chillier months that wouldn't stop me from wanting to take a dip. I used to dream about mermaids. In my heart of hearts I always figured if there were shape shifters and vampires, maybe there were also mermaids. So, I'd swim and swim, hoping one day I would find the mythical land with Ariel and Sebastian.

The water was cold, hinting at the winter temperatures that would soon be here. I dunked under quickly let the water soak me to the bone. It was refreshing and just what I needed. It reminded me of this morning in the shower. That felt so long ago now.

 _Sean_

I forgot what my mother had said. He imprinted. On a child? I wonder what that meant. All of us are considered the packs children so it must be one of the girls, not Jessica or Veronica of course. Maybe it was Avery? The thought quickly crossed my mind. That wouldn't be bad having my best friend become my sister. My father had always been more loyal to Uncle Sam so I'm sure it would be an adjustment if Sean and Avery got together, Avery being Jake's daughter and all.

I was lost in my thoughts and barely noticed someone in the water near me.

"Kayley?" the voice said again. I turned abruptly to see Shea in the water behind me. I jumped a bit which only made her chuckle.

"Sorry, Shea, you scared me," I said while wading towards her.

"I was doing some laps and thought I saw you down here so I figured I swim down. Been here a while?" she asked.

"Yeah, I got here a little while ago. Wanted to take advantage of the nice day," it wasn't a lie, just not the main reason for me being here.

"Yeah, me too." She was quiet then. Just looking out to the ocean. She was the one that came over to me but she was making no move to continue the conversation.

"So, how was last night?" not wanting to waste anytime beating around the bush. She would know what had happened with Ryan and I surely. Our families weren't ones to keep things quiet.

She starred at me for a while and it was hard to notice her eyes filling with tears. "Michael imprinted on me," she said with trembling lips. Her eyes were staring right through me and my breath caught in my throat. That's when she started crying. Hysterical sobs came from her body. I walked towards her and pulled her towards me to bring her to my blanket on the beach.

Out of the corner of my eye I could have sworn I saw something move in the woods above the rocks. It would be one of the wolves I'm sure. I didn't want Shea to see anything so I held her in my arms, trying to comfort her.

Shea and Cole hadn't been in as exclusive of a relationship as Ryan and I, but I think that almost makes it worse. They had to try so much harder to be together. Sneaking off at parties and at school between periods. They thought they were being careful and not getting to attached but apparently not.

Michael was Uncle Sam's son. It wasn't a surprise he imprinted, being the son of an alpha and all. Poor Shea was only 15. Michael had finished school last year and worked with Jake in his auto shop. He was quiet and intense. Charlie was his best friend and they stuck to themselves. They seemed to fit in more with my dad and other uncles more then with us kids. As Shea calmed down, I figured I would try and start up the conversation again.

"I'm sorry Shea. I know how bad you wanted things to work out with Cole. This sucks," I said quietly. She nodded against my chest. She was so vulnerable I wondered if this was how I looked today in the eyes of my family.

"Ryan didn't imprint on me either," I said. I don't know why I said it. I hadn't meant to say it out loud. I shouldn't have put this on Shea right now. Shea lifted her head to look me in the eye. She didn't say anything but she didn't have to. The regret was there. The understanding was there. She pulled away a bit and sat next to me.

"It sucks, Shea. Sorry, I don't know what to say," I was just at a loss. I felt Shea grab my hand. We sat for a while on my blanket, just sitting and staring out into the ocean.

The sun was near eye level now and I knew hours had to have gone by. There was rustling above us, notifying Shea and I we were no longer alone. Shea clutched my hand tightly so I stood up instead. I was sure it would be Michael, checking up on his imprint. Or one of our father's. I would talk to them quickly letting them know I would be sure Shea made it home safely. I climbed the few rocks back up to the woodsy trail that led down to the beach. I heard the rustling again from a bit further back and walked towards the noise. I was surprised to see a chocolate brown wolf emerge from behind a group of trees. He was large, enormous really. Whoever this wolf was reminded me of my father. My eyes roamed over the wolf, finally decided it must be one of the boys since I have not seen them before.

Was it Michael? Was it Sean?

When my eyes met those of the chocolate brown wolf I was mesmerized. The deep seas of greenish brown eyes were miles deep. This wolf was beautiful. I was amazed again at the magic that ran through our family. Our men were shape shifters, a true gift of the spirits. They were there in that moment, giving me hopes and promise. Instinctively I stepped closer. I let my hand reach out and was surprised when the wolf turned its head into my hand. I let my fingers run through the coarse hair. It felt just like my fathers. It felt the same as the other wolves.

The sudden thought ran through my head. _Was this Ryan?_ _Would he be here right now?_ Instead of wondering any longer, I told them what I came here to say. Not bothering to wait for this wolf to go ahead and change back.

"Shea and I are leaving soon, we'll walk back to my house then I'll drive her home," I said aloud. The wolf seemed to understand, pushing their head harder into my hand. I stood there, rubbing the wolf's face for another moment. Reluctantly I took my hand away. The warmth was instantly gone and momentarily I wished I hadn't done it. The wolf let out a small whimper, letting me know it didn't want me to leave either. I reached out once more, leaving a small caress on the wolf's cheek.

"See you soon?" I said. Not waiting for a response I turned away.

I headed back to the beach, wondering who that had been. Whoever it was I am sure was surprised to see me today after what happened yesterday. But, in this very moment, I was happy to be were I was.

Shea was still on the blanket when I retuned. I told her I wasn't sure who it was but that we should head back to my house. Just as I said this there was a musical howl in the woods behind us. Whoever it had been was still close, probably waiting for us to pack up and go. We silently grabbed our things and hit the road back to my house. I knew one of the wolves would be escorting us back to the house from the comfort of the woods.

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Sean's POV

My paws hit the earth in a mix of force and agility. Just over a week ago I phased for the first time. I remember the initial pain, my skin ripping apart to make room for this second skin. There was panic and fear but my father's voice in my head was enough to sooth my nerves. That and the other 9 frantic wolves voices in my head made the moment comical. Now it was natural. It was my duty and I was on cloud 9.

I thought that Saturday would be the best day of my life. Boy was I wrong. Yesterday I imprin-

 _You were getting better!_ Cole thought sarcastically. _I think you went 2 whole minutes this time without thinking of Lily._

 _Shut up, Cole._

 _Hey, I think he was being serious. You actually went like a solid 2 or so minutes. It was refreshing,_ Shane thought.

Everyone had been on my case since the bonfire yesterday. I went early to help mum with the food and setting up. Most of the pack was already there, getting the tables and fire going early. Uncle Quil got there soon after and the twins and I had run up to help Claire and their daughter Lily bring the rest of the stuff down to the beach. That's when it happened. My whole world shifted around the small girl in the car seat. _I imprinted on Lily. Quil and Claire's daughter, Lily. Her long brown curls that fell down her back and her cute polka dot dress I'd have to thank Claire for buying. She was my angel. My absolute baby angel._

 _On my god, that was like 23 seconds. I thought we were making progress?!_ Shane thought.

I could feel Seth role his eyes even though he was closer to the boarder and I was by the beach.

 _Alright, alright, alright. Cole, Shane, why don't you guys phase back. PJ will be on shift soon and can take over for you guys. Once Michael and Paul get here, we can go Sean,_ Uncle Seth thought. Seth was the most patient dealing with us. He was more of a big brother then anything. Even the twins looked to him as more of a brother then a dad.

Before I could get myself into any more trouble, I felt a new mind presence with us.

 _It's just me,_ PJ was here now.

 _Alright, boys your turn to head home. Tell mom I'll be there soon,_ Seth said. I could see they were both now just outside of their house.

 _My dad will be here soon, he was just at Uncle Sam's house talking with him and Michael._ Right, I heard about Michael. Thankfully Cole was gone now. He was doing a great job of keeping his thoughts to himself but we got a few glimpses of watching Michael imprint on Shea through his eyes. He was upset for sure, nearly phased right on the beach. But he was trying to be the bigger person. He hadn't seen Shea since it happened, Sam had told him to keep his distance. It was a bit awkward really, Sam's son having phased on her. We knew Cole didn't have a case on this one but Shea was stubborn and hopefully Michael was willing to wait her out.

 _You can say that again,_ PJ thought. Shoot, I need to be better at keeping things quiet until I'm not a wolf. Just then, we could feel another person join. It was Michael. And he just about exploded in his house. He was angry but not saying anything.

Seth, PJ and I tried to wait him out until he said something but he was fuming. Seth tried to get his attention by asking where Paul was but he continued to ignore us, just running straight ahead not minding where he was off to.

We then saw glimpses of their conversation. Apparently Michael had gone to Shea's house and Paul and Rachel told him to give her some space. She wasn't home anyway and had gone to the beach to clear her head.

 _Funny, Kayley went to the beach earlier too,_ I thought but wished I hadn't.

 _Yeah, I saw her there!_ He basically yelled at me. _They told me to give her space but I had to make sure she was ok and there she was! Swimming laps in the OCEAN alone! Alone for crying out loud! And that was an hour ago! She could have drowned by now! And Dad commanded me to give her space._ He was fuming. I was surprised he got this much out.

 _Why don't I check in down the beach? I'm by the rocks anyway,_ PJ thought. I could see he was near the beach and so did Michael and Seth. Uncle Seth gave him the go ahead so PJ inched closer to the path. We could see the girls leaving the ocean. Kayley had her arm around Shea and it sounded like Shea was crying.

Michael let out a whimper and we could all feel his pain for his imprint. With eyes on the girls, Seth told him to wait until Paul was here. He would know what the girl's plans were. We continued with out patrols for a while, PJ pacing in the woods by the beach, Michael in a full sprint nearly to Seattle. We felt Paul phase in and he told us he wasn't sure when the girls were headed home.

 _Son, why don't you get their attention and ask them to make their way home,_ Paul said to PJ.

PJ gave a slight howl, the one we practiced to tell others we needed them but it wasn't an emergency. Obviously he had it down pat at this point, Mr. Over Achiever. PJ was probably one of the only ones of us that never dreamed of a life not being a wolf. Since we were little it's all he talked about. And that says a lot because PJ doesn't talk much.

PJ didn't even react to me saying this, instead just made his way towards the trees that he could phase behind. We could hear Kayley tell Shea she would be right back. She said it was probably a call to have them head home and we could feel Michael's sigh of relief at that.

 _Don't bother phasing, she'll know it's her cue to head home,_ Seth said. We watched as Kayley emerged from the trees and her breath hitched when she saw PJ. We were sure she was thinking that she didn't know this wolf. She was slow at first. She looked over PJ, peculiarly taking in his size. Her mouth hung open a bit and I snorted. She was too much sometimes. We grew up with wolves and I knew she could pick any of them out from a crowd, but it would take a while I was sure to get us straight.

She spent a minute looking him over; she was so intrigued for some reason. I made a mental note to see PJ in his wolf form, wondering why she was looking at him so much. When she finally looked at PJ, we all felt it at once. It was magnified, each of us feeling for PJ at the same time. When their eyes locked, PJ's world shifted. Dropped out from beneath him really.

 _He imprinted._

I'm not sure who said it, maybe we all thought it at the same time. His thoughts were silent though. He was mesmerized, staring right into my sister's eyes. We all watched as Kayley reached out to touch his wolf's face.

This wasn't happening was it?

If dad was here and saw how close PJ was to her in wolf form he'd loose it. I was getting anxious on my heel but wouldn't dare think it again.

 _No, you're right, Sean. PJ, nudge her to head home, now. We'll deal with this once the girls are home safely,_ his father said. Paul was highest in command right now and even his son couldn't betray this command. Before he could do anything, Kayley spoke.

"Shea and I are leaving soon, we'll walk back to my house then I'll drive her home," she said. She took her hand away from PJ and he let out a small whimper. We could instantly feel his regret at making a noise but surprisingly Kayley reached out again.

"See you soon?" she said. She had no idea who this wolf was or that they had just imprinted on her. Shouldn't she have felt something too? Maybe she did? She turned on her heel and left then. We could feel for PJ in that moment, the loss of contact from his imprint. He was still so silent though. I'm not sure if he'd even acknowledge what had happened at this point. He was letting his wolf take over and the words weren't there.

Seth was the first to speak and take us all from our inner thoughts. _Follow them until they get to her house and make sure Shea get's home safely_ , Seth said. _Sean, I think were good to go, Paul?_

 _Yeah, you two head out. Sean, tell you father I need to speak with him. I'll be at your house in 10 minutes. Do not say anything until I speak with him. NO ONE says a thing to Kayley, got it?_ Paul said. It was an order. I shook my head and phased right outside of my backyard.

Thankfully my parents were both in the kitchen when I walked in the back. I looked right to dad and told him Paul would be here in a minute to talk. I couldn't even look at mum; she could get anything out of me. So instead, I ran straight up the stairs to my room. All I wanted was to shower and make my way over to Quil and Claire's for dinner. It's only been a day and Quil has basically run me through the next 20 years of my life.

It seemed ironic that I imprinted on Lily since she was only 4 years old. Claire was only 2 when Quil had imprinted on her. If anything, it only made them more understanding. So, they had agreed to let me come over for dinner tonight and we would make a schedule for when I could see her.

I hopped in the shower just as Paul got to our house. As much as I wanted to listen in, I also was in a rush so I didn't bother. I knew what he would say and how mum and dad would react.

I would have to avoid Kayley for a while. She would be pissed that I kept this from her. But a command is a command and this was her future. I couldn't mess with that. Thinking of how she was last night, this new news would crush her.

I finished up in the bathroom, quickly changing and running back downstairs. Mum and dad were silently sitting at the table and I didn't stop to talk. It would have to wait until I saw my angel. I yelled on my way out the door and took it as a good sign that no one called after me. I noticed Kayley's car was gone so she must be bringing Shea home. I'm sure PJ was in the woods following along with them.

His sister and his imprint. Man, what was he going to do?

* * *

So, what do you think?! I won't normally post from Sean's POV but figured this was a good way for everyone to see who he imprinted on and the turn of events in Kayley's life. Does anyone want me to post a little family tree across the pack to keep up with everyone? LMK

x


	6. Chapter 6

Hello! Sorry for the long wait! I'm the worst

Family tree is at the end but wait until then to look at it. Don't want ya'll seeing any spoilers! Enjoy! X

SM owns all

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Kayley's POV

Monday morning was here before I knew it and the sound of my alarm made the thought that much more aversive. I groaned, not wanting to pull myself out of bed. I knew my parents would understand if I wanted to stay home today but I couldn't do that to the boys. I had to be there for them on their first day back. People would be making comments about them and us girls had to stick together and welcome them back.

I through on some leggings, a blank long sleeve, white chucks, and black Nike hat. I wasn't going to bother with showering, who was there to impress anyway. I grabbed my bag and instantly remembered all of the homework I had neglected over the weekend. Ugh, this wouldn't be my day. Luckily I was a good student and teacher's liked me. I would just play it off as having the stomach bug or something.

Downstairs, Sean was just walking in the door as I made my way to the kitchen table. I raised one eyebrow at him, knowing he wasn't patrolling last night, but he just gave me a look. I wondered where he was last night. With his imprint maybe? I still hadn't asked him about it, but he had already run past me to jump in the shower before we left so there was no time to talk. I was glad mum and dad were already gone for the day and unable to ask me for a 100th time if I was ok to go back to school today. Yes I was still internally a wreck, and yes I cried myself to sleep last night but what would I do at home?

I whipped up some eggs and a few pieces of bacon for Sean and I. I thought better on it and grabbed a few muffins too and put his breakfast into a Tupperware to take with us. Just as I was finishing my breakfast and Sean was coming down the stairs, we both heard a beep out front. Sean and I instantly looked at one another, silently exchanging an, _oh shit Ryan's here,_ moment.

Sean's, _oh shit_ moment, was more on the lines of, _I can't believe that prick is here to pick us up,_ while mine was more along the lines of, _shit, shit, shit I can't believe we have to leave already._

"Don't worry, I told him he could drive us this morning," I said quickly. I would have been sure Ryan told Sean this since they were on patrol together yesterday but maybe not. I grabbed my things just as Sean did and we made our way outside. I was surprised to see Avery in the front seat of the Jeep where I normally sit but then again this day was off to a weird start. Then it hit me, Sean must have imprinted on Avery. He must have!

"Hey guys," Sean said while jumping his way into the back seat. I didn't have time ask him about it before we got in so I kept my eyes glued to see they interactions.

"Hey Avery…Ryan," I said, giving my best friend a squeeze on her shoulder. She smiled hesitantly back on me and I could have sworn I saw her shoot Sean a look, but maybe I was imagining it. Ryan saying hello shook me back to reality and we set off to school.

We chatted neutrally about going back to school. They boys were excited to show off their new muscles to the guys on the football team and Avery and I just rolled our eyes. The Res School wasn't far away and we pulled into our same spot in the parking lot we normally did. I wasted no time in hopping right out and could tell Sean was right behind me. I knew Avery would want to check in on me before heading to class and I was dying to get some information from her too so I waited a few feet away from the Jeep for her.

I was too far away to hear anything, but Avery and Ryan were still in the Jeep together talking. It had always been the three of us as friends growing up so it didn't surprise me to see them talking together I had just assumed Avery would be right on me as soon as we got here. Eventually, Sean nudged me and said they would meet us inside. He had a look that I couldn't read. Not necessarily anger but not pleasant either.

As soon as we hit the hallways, there were a million stares in our direction. Sean was glowing from ear to ear; he liked this I could tell. We split ways so I could head to my locker before going to Math. I could feel someone's eyes on me and turned around on the spot. I wasn't surprised to see several people looking at me. There was a group of girls to my left, caddy girls is what we called them. Their whispers were enough to drive you mad and I wasn't surprised to see them looking at me.

From the other side of the hallway, I saw PJ heading towards me. We had gotten into this routine before the boys left last Saturday. He'd meet me at my locker and we'd go to first period together. Turns out we actually had two classes together. Thankfully, he didn't know we had math together either, unlike the English incident. His face was neutral as always, but his eyes struck me. I could see them so clearly from still about 10 feet away. They looked so familiar, but why?

I shook the thought from my head so I could greet him with a smile as he got closer. Just like Sean, PJ had to have grown another inch or so and his muscles were more defined if that was even possible. He looked older, identical to his father. PJ was handsome before. We all knew it. If he weren't so serious and kept to himself he'd have surely been part of the popular crowd in school.

I gave PJ a smile when he got closer and his face softened. And for the first time, I saw a small smile spread on his face.

"Look at you, all grown up," I teased before opening my arms to give him a hug. It was natural to congratulate the boys. I'd be doing it a lot today for sure. PJ didn't say anything before taking me in his arms and nearly lifting me off the ground. His warm embrace was welcoming. My arms seemed to fit perfectly around his waist. He held me there for a minute and I couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of nearly being lifted off the ground by PJ of all people. About 30 seconds into our hug I pulled my head back, insinuating it was time to put me down.

"Sorry, it's just good to see you, Kayley," he said shyly. A lopsided smile played across his lips and I had to shake my head to stop myself from thinking how attractive he was in this moment.

"Ready to be back to school?" I said, trying to keep the conversation light.

"Yeah, I guess. I'm sure I'll have a bunch of work to make up. You know how Mr. Tate is," he said, giving me a side look.

"I actually have some notes for you from English. Math stuff is easy, just review from last year," I said. We finished maneuvering our way through the cramped hallways and into our first period class. I was relieved to finally reach our class and leave the musty hallways behind us. I was surprised when I heard PJ ask to switch seats with the girl next to me. He said I was helping him catch up from being out all of last week, which wasn't a lie but I'm sure he didn't need me to get caught up. She did so happily and here we were, sitting in the back of class together just like in English.

Class dragged on, going over review of a few topics we did last year. Easy stuff really. I could feel PJ take a few side-glances at me throughout class, which made me awkwardly fidget with my pencil. When the bell rang, I jumped from my seat, happy to be off to an elective and take my mind off of school for a bit. I hadn't even thought to say goodbye until I felt PJ's warm hand wrap around my elbow, stopping me in the doorway.

"See you at lunch?" he said.

"Yeah, of course," I said lightly. With that, PJ wrapped his arms around me, giving me his second hug of the day and probably 10th of our lifetime. I instinctively hugged him back, letting my arms rest carelessly around his neck. His warm breath was on my cheek and a shiver shot straight down my back.

He put me back down carefully and on his heel, left with out saying another word. I stood there for a moment before turning myself to rush off to my next class. I'd have to move quickly if I'd want to make it there on time. I rushed through the crowds, fighting my way towards my art class. It was then that it dawned on me.

 _His eyes._

If I wasn't mistaken, they were the same eyes I had seen the other day at the beach. The chocolate brown wolf that followed me home. I would have to ask PJ at lunch if it were him. I was seeing a new side to PJ I hadn't known before. Maybe this has been him the whole time. I wasn't sure. All I knew was I was happy to have a good friend by my side on this Monday back to school.

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PJ's POV

Sam told me if I could make it through lunch I could leave then for the day and 'patrol' the rest of the afternoon. I wasn't super keen on the idea of missing more school but I did appreciate him looking out for me. Hearing what everyone was saying about us and what they thought we were up to last week was flat out annoying. None of them were grateful for what the pack does on a daily basis. Not that they really knew, but still. It pissed me off. The only reason I came today was to see _her._

The last 16 hours had been a whirlwind. Between dad and mom trying to hide their excitement that I imprinted, to Sean and Uncle Jared threatening to kill me if I fucked things up with their little girl, to Uncle Sam basically alpha ordering me to not tell Kayley anything until she figured it out herself, I was left to do nothing but exist under the orders of the pack until further notice. I had to specifically ask if it was ok to still talk to her in school. Of course it was, but not without everyone giving me input on how to act around my imprint.

 _My imprint._ How the hell did this happen? I never dreamed of imprinting on one of the girls. Honestly, the thought never stuck with me. I always figured if I did that maybe it would be some girl from school, or maybe someone from the Makah Reservation. I definitely did not think it would be one of our girls. I always thought I would have felt the connection before hand. Kind of had an idea. This one totally blindsided me. Blindsided everyone really.

Now that it's happened, I can't help but think back on every encounter Kayley and I have ever had. I imprinted on Ryan's girl. Ryan's girl for fuck sake! She was essentially off limits in my mind. I quickly pushed that thought from my head. I had to stop thinking of her that way. I knew it would be hard since that's how I've known her for all these years. To be honest, I hardly even knew Kayley, which was odd for how close our families were. For whatever reason we just never got close. She was attached at the hip to Avery and Ryan and never seemed to make an effort to be friends with anyone else.

I can't really say anything though because I've never made much of an effort myself. When we were younger, everyone seemed to group up into close friend groups quickly and somehow I just never found my way into one. It was easier to make friends with kids from school, so that's what I did. I always knew the pack would be there for me when the time came and figured I may as well live as normal of a life until then as I can.

I was pulled back to my thoughts as a whiff of Kayley's shampoo fills my nostrils. Minty lavender. It was fifth period English class and it was safe to say I had been daydreaming for a while. It was tricky, but I was pretty good at keeping my thoughts together while being a wolf. The other guys were constantly thinking of their imprints and I was constantly trying to keep my thoughts to myself.

I stole a quick glance at her and could see a hit of blood rush to her cheeks. Was she blushing? God was she beautiful. Her long silk hair, piercing eyes, pink lips…I could hear her breathing pick up and quickly looked away, busing myself by copying down whatever was written on the white board. She probably thinks I'm a freak for staring at her like that. I groaned internally.

Class would be ending in another 15 minutes and we would go to lunch from there. I'm still curious as to how much Kayley knows about the pack from this weekend. Even I was still trying to wrap my head around everything that happened. From what the other's had said, Kayley's handling things better then they thought, especially after the way Sean found her on Saturday. That thought made my fist clench and chills run from head to toe. I had a bone to pick with Ryan for leaving her that way. Dumbass. A million different things could have happened to her while she was passed out on her porch.

 _The thought of her lying there on the porch…_

Kayley noticed me tense in my seat and shot me a look. Her eyes met mine and I instantly calmed down. That only made her look at me more skeptically. God she made me nervous and calm all at the same time. What I'd give to tell her everything right now. Sitting here and consciously lying to her is killing me. She's going to hate me for what I've done already, the longer it takes for her to realize the worse it'll be. I breathed out slowly from my mouth, trying to stop the shakes from getting any more obvious.

5 more minutes until the bell rings. Lunch would be awkward for sure and I was tempted to ask Kayley if she wanted to go off campus just to keep her in the dark of everything a bit longer. I wasn't even sure if her and Ryan really broke up or not.

I am positive though that he hadn't told her he imprinted on her best friend. I'm also positive that so called 'best friend' was avoiding her like the plague and Kayley was getting suspicious. Apparently, Avery had a feeling in the woods that day she helped Kayley set up for her reunion with Ryan that Ryan was going to imprint on her. She said she could feel him getting closer long before she normally can tell when someone's coming. When she didn't hear from Kayley on Saturday night, Avery went straight to Ryan's house to figure out what had happened. Bing, bang, boom… he imprinted. And from what's been going through Ryan's head, it doesn't seem like Avery is that turned off by the idea of dating her best friends ex.

A wave of nausea ran through my body like a wave. The thought of my imprint being hurt by Ryan and Avery made my skin crawl. I internally groaned. This wasn't rock bottom and I knew it was coming. Sooner, rather then later. Thankfully, no one had said much to me about what happened with Kayley the other day at the beach and I would have to thank Uncle Jake for that. I'm pretty sure he alpha ordered everyone to keep it quiet and I was relieved for sure.

"PJ, you coming?" my beautiful angel's voice called out. Slightly stunned as I noticed the classroom had cleared out, I quickly nodded my head and grabbed my things before meeting her at the exit. The hallways were clearer now and I intentionally walked slowly, trying to drag out our moments alone as long as possible. How could she not feel this? I felt like my chest was being shocked and pulled by a fishing line at the same time.

We both stopped dead in our tracks when we got to be about 10 feet from our lunch table. Our same seating arrangements we had had since the first grade were moved all over the place. Seemingly so that all imprinted couples were sitting next to each other, including Ryan and Avery. Right across the table from them were two empty seats, presumably for Kayley and I. While I didn't mind getting the chance to sit next her again, could these idiots make it anymore damn obvious. I shot Ryan a look that he didn't even bother to acknowledge. Prick.

I could feel Kayley's uncertainty from 2 feet away. I causally led us over to our new seats at the table and was unsurprised when Kayley immediately spoke up.

"Will everyone stop tiptoeing around me, I'm fine, honestly. You guys didn't need to rearrange the whole table so Ryan and I don't have to sit together anymore. Were fine, right?" she said, while looking directly at him from her spot across the table. Everyone was deadly silently after listening to her rant. She thought everyone moved so she didn't have to sit with Ryan. She had no idea what was really going on.

Never would I have dreamed what happened next would happen, but before I knew it, Ryan was basically shouting across the table at my imprint that he imprinted on Avery. Every mouth at our table was wide open. Including Avery's. She recovered quickly a tried to defend what Ryan had said.

"Ryan, oh my god, I can't believe you just said that! Kayley, Jesus, we were going to tell you, we were just waiting until it was a better time…I can't believe you did that!" smacking at Ryan's arm. I wasn't even sure if she was still talking I was so focused on watching my imprint. Her face was so emotionless I wasn't sure if she had registered what either of them had said. Without saying a word, she was abandoning her unopened lunch bag and standing from our table.

My legs were unable to move as I watched her nearly start running from the cafeteria and out into the parking lot. My blood was boiling. I could feel myself about to loose control right there in the cafeteria when I heard my sister Shea's soft voice come from across the table. She was telling me to calm down and that others were watching. I wanted to tell her to fuck off but Sean spoke up before I could.

"PJ, go man. She needs you right now. Whether she knows about the imprint or not, you being around her will make her feel better," Sean said to me with sympathetic eyes. Without another word I was also grabbing my things and b-lined for the door. I couldn't see where she had gone so I followed the familiar pull in my chest that was leading down the road from the school. Instead of following her on foot, I jumped into my truck and took off to where she was headed. She had made it surprisingly far down the road given she had her book bag still.

I slowed my truck down as I got near to her. I stop just a little ways ahead of her so I would have time to jump out and meet her, as she got closer. Much to my surprise, she walked right over and opened the door to my truck, plopping her book bag on the floor and hopping up before I could make a move out of the truck. She was silent, not saying a word, but I wasn't blind to the tears flowing freely down her face. I pulled the truck back on the road and continued down further to where I imagined she was walking. First Beach was just a few miles further and given it was a Monday, it would be fairly empty. The parking lot was nearly bare aside from the few men's cars that were fishing off the bridge.

I turned the ignition off but made no move to leave the truck. This would be on her terms and when she was ready to talk or move, I would be there for her.

As much as I wanted to sneak a glance in her direction, I felt like it was an invasion of her privacy. She wanted to be alone but I'm sure she knew someone would come for her eventually, so she settled on me keeping her company. So, we sat in my truck: silently, but in each other's company. I looked to the clock on my dash. It was 1:03pm. My stomach was making small sounds; I had been starving just an hour ago. But now I felt like I couldn't keep anything down even if I tried.

It was now 1:17pm. I wasn't sure what made me decide to do this, but I quietly began to hum the tune of an old Quileute song my grandmother used to sing to us as kids. It wasn't a lullaby but it was soothing to me. We all knew it from the tribal meetings and it always resonated with me as the song of strength. The Quileute words sang of the tribe and our duty to the people and earth. It sang of average folk and sacrifice. I tilted my head back, leaning on the headrest and closed my eyes. My humming was calming my soul that was in turmoil watching my imprint whither in pain next to me. When I finished the first song without a protest, I jumped right into the second.

In a slow movement, a soft, careful hand placed on top of mine and I had to coolly slow myself down from opening my eyes and looking at her too quickly. The wolf inside me screamed at her touch but I had to stay calm. My imprint was holding my hand. _She needed me. I could feel it in her touch._

I turned my hand and slowly encased hers in mine. Our fingers laced together like a puzzle that just fit together. Instinctively my thumb rubbed small circles on the back of her hand and the warmth was as calming as my hum. I was making a point to not look at her. To much would overwhelm her I knew and I didn't want this to end quiet yet. So instead, with her hand resting in my lap and our fingers entwined, I starred into the ocean and let my wind wander to a life where Kayley knew how I felt about her.

It was an easy picture to see. Going to dinner in Port Angeles. Playing card games on a Friday night. Dancing around the kitchen in our pajamas while we made breakfast. I had seen it a million times in my parents and her parents. I just hoped it wouldn't take too long for us to get to that place. Kayley being happy is the only place I want us to be.

I finished humming my way through the last of the Quileute songs but didn't let up on the rhythm of my thumb tracing circles on Kayley's hand. I felt her hand give mine a small squeeze in the same moment her eyes were on me.

Her voice was soft yet deliberate; hoarse and scratchy from holding her tears in. "I need you to be honest with me," she said, still looking at the side of my head. I was intentionally still looking at the ocean, scared that this moment was about to be pulled away from me.

"Of course," I said. This time I looked at her and instantly wished I hadn't. Her eyes were so full of pain and her face was red and blotchy. I couldn't help the sharp intake of breath flow through my body and the slight shake run head to toe. My grip on her hand tightened for the briefest of moments.

Her eyes were wide and hand was gone before I could try and protest. The instant loss of skin-to-skin contact made half of me just about shut down. My eyes went wide and I could feel her emotions in the pit of my stomach. "I'm so sorry," was all I was able to get out. She knew. _She really knew what I did to her._ My imprint looked between her door handle and the ocean and I knew I was about to loose her. I had to do something before she jumped from my truck, running away from me forever.

"Please, let me at least take you home," I said so quietly I'm surprised I saw her shake her head agreeingly. I turned the truck back on and looked behind me as I was pulling out of the lot.

"Stop, I'm not ready to go home yet," she said looking right at me.

"That's fine, where can I take you instead?" I was shocked to be speaking so coherently. My whole being was on the brink of devastation not knowing what was going through her head right now and knowing she wanted to be anywhere but with me. She sat silently until she asked me to park the truck again. I expected her to jump out as soon as I parked but instead she leaned back in the seat, resting her feet on my dash in a lazy way. I knew I shouldn't have but I couldn't go on without knowing how she was feeling.

"I didn't want you to have to find out this way, I'm so, so sorry," I said. Above the silence you could hear the waves crashing in the distance. I was trying to memorize their pattern to keep me from saying another word when I knew Kayley was leaving my words rhetorically.

1:43pm read the clock. The time was moving too slowly but entirely too fast. I knew when it would be an appropriate time for her to go home she would and I wasn't ready for that to happen. But I also needed to be alone in my head to mentally reprimand myself for letting this happen.

"When did it happen? Was it in the hallway this morning?" she trailed off but seemed like she wanted to say more.

"No, it wasn't this morning. It was yesterday over there on the trail," I said. Clearly she knew exactly was I was talking about because her mouth went so wide but no words were coming out.

"You're the chocolate brown wolf?" she said so silently it was a whisper.

"Uncle Seth sent me to check on you guys because Michael was worried about Shea and your brother was leaving patrol. I was already near the trail and we only wanted to give you guys a clue to head home. And I know I shouldn't be telling you any of this and Uncle Jake will kill me for it but I have to say this but I'd be lying if I didn't say how right this feels to me," this was the rambling I had been holding in but there was no stopping it at this point. I needed her to hear this from me.

"Even before we phased you and I started a friendship we hadn't had in the past. It was natural then and all I want is for you to feel happy and supported again. And I know you can't just go from being with Ryan to being with me and I'd never want you to do that. I just need you to know I'm here for you. I'll always be here for you. Each and every day until things start to feel right again" Every last pent up feeling was out. Her gaze never left mine from the minute I started until the minute I ended. Her eyes were welling with tears for the second time now and I was shocked she understood any of the speech I had just ran through.

"What if I never feel right again?" she said. Her lips were trembling and I wanted so badly to press mine against them until she felt my need to heal her.

"I am not going anywhere. As long as you need and as much time as it takes. Please, just let me be there through this…" I felt my own lips quiver but I didn't care. She needed to know I was being honest. I reached out and grabbed her left hand that was draped in her lap. She didn't pull away and I immediately laced our fingers together tightly.

Relief instantly flooded my body. She was letting me hold her hand and hadn't run away screaming when she found out she was my imprint. This hand was the thread holding me together and id be damned if I ever let it go again.

* * *

A/N Sorry for the wait! Hope you all enjoyed! Next chapter, back to Kayley's POV. Review, review, review!

Below is the family tree I promised!

 **Families:**

Sam ….…. **Veronica 20, Michael 18**

Emily

Jared…..…... **Sean 17, Kayley 16**

Kim

Jake …... **Nate 18, Avery 16** , and Lizzie 14

Ness

Quil...….…. Lily 4

Claire

Paul…...…. **Jessica 18, Paul Jr. (PJ) 17, Shea15**

Rachel (Jake's Sister)

Seth…...…...….… **Ryan 16,** Cole & Shane 15

Michelle (OC)

Embry…...…...… **Charlie21** , Jac 18 Oliver16, Ben15

Ava (OC)

* **Bolded** names are those that have imprinted

 **Imprinted:**

 _Kayley and PJ_

 _Veronica and Charlie_

 _Ryan and Avery_

 _Michael and Shea_

 _Nate and Jessica_

 _Sean &…. _

**Couples before:**

Kayley and Ryan

Cole and Shea


	7. Chapter 7

Hello! Over 700 views and only 5 reviews! Always appreciate a ghost reader but would love some reviews!

Thank you FallenSkye24…you keep me going! Enjoy x

SM owns all

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When I was 12, Claire was pregnant with Lily. She started going to classes to help with her delivery and everyone thought Avery and I were crazy when we said we wanted to go also. She called it a meditation class but everyone laughed at us saying it was all baby delivery-breathing methods, but we didn't care. Claire was the 'cool big sister'. Technically, Uncle Quil was much older, my dads age really, but he looked as young as the guys.

Right now, sitting in PJ's truck, I've never been so happy to master the art of breathing calmly. Internally, I felt like I had been in a car crash and no one was there to help. I was screaming for someone, anyone really to come save me but everyone just watches from the comfort of their own cars not wanting to put themselves in danger. But, with each inhaled breath through my nose and exhale from my mouth, another quiver would subside before being replaced by a new one.

PJ was humming the songs of the Quileute Tribe; ones I remember from his grandmother actually. She always sang them to us when we were young. Her sweet voice was a distant memory now but I couldn't help but feel a bit of comfort at his tune. With his warm hand in mine, I knew the spirits were pushing us together. My actions were beyond me right now. _This was the imprint bond. It was greater then your conscious. It was keeping me together._

I had every intention of fleeing his truck and hiding in my bedroom until I woke up from this bad nightmare. But for some reason, the second PJ began to pull out of the beach parking lot I felt panic shock me into asking him to stay a bit longer. I could see in the pain and unsureness in his eyes. Clearly teetering on the brink of loosing it. When my parents fight, this is how my father looks at my mother. With worry and pain that never takes them longer then a few minutes to get over.

Without saying anything, my heart was breaking for PJ. He didn't deserve me, not like this. I was in love with someone else! How could that be fair to him? Was he just supposed to wait until I was ready to be with him? My head was swirling and I almost missed PJ begin talking since he was so quiet.

"I didn't want you to have to find out this way, I'm so, so sorry," he said. I was no idiot. There's no way PJ wasn't alpha ordered to keep this from me. When it came to imprinting, there were so many unspoken rules, but thankfully growing up in this world I knew most of them. I didn't know what to say to him so I said nothing. This was never his fault. As we sat, I tried to steal glances in his direction, but all I could see was a mirror less reflection.

I needed to know more though. Curiosity was burning and although I wanted to hold my ground and stay in silence, I would kick myself later from the unanswered questions. "When did it happen? Was it in the hallway this morning?"

"No, it wasn't this morning. It was yesterday…over there on the trail," his words seemed scripted, like he had practiced this exact conversation. As his words came out, realization finally hit home. _The eyes._

"You're the chocolate brown wolf?" I said so silently it was a whisper. PJ went on to tell me how he ended up being the one to check on us but I was a million miles away. I remember that feeling as soon as I saw his wolf. It was like electricity was running through me. I was compelled to keep my feet rooted in the ground with my hand in his fur. I tried brushing away the thought but couldn't deny how I felt that day.

My eyes stayed on his while he poured out his soul to me. He was earnest and good and his heart was breaking. I could feel it in my gut; a horrible wrench was twisting away. Every last pent up feeling was out. I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes and I wanted so bad to tell PJ to run and never look back to me. I was broken and he would be better off without me. The wrench was twisting tighter and I nearly gasped from lack of air. He needed to understand what was running through my head.

"What if I never feel right again?" I said as my lips trembled ever so slightly. He was looking directly at them and when his arm twitched I thought he was going to reach out to them.

His words were honest and reassuring, not a doubt in my mind that he meant them. "I am not going anywhere. As long as you need and as much time as it takes. Please, just let me be there through this…" His lips were also now quivering as he reached out and grabbed me left hand. I didn't pull away as the gesture immediately loosed the wrench just a tiny bit. I let him rub small circles on the back of my hand and could feel my breathing steady.

As PJ laced our fingers together, I knew I needed to rationalize my fate. I needed air, fresh air to fill my lungs. I was suffocating and needed to clear my head. "Let's go down to the water," I said, giving his hand a slight tug. I was surprised when he began to slide over the seat and follow me out my side of the truck. His hand was gripped tightly to mine and I knew he was in fear of letting it go.

The beach was cool, a slight breeze coming off the coast, but the sun was still high and there were no clouds in sight. As we walked hand in hand, I was flooded with different memories of us all on the beach. Bonfires, birthday parties, beach days, volunteering, swimming, surfing, and so many other things; First Beach was our second home. I knew it like the back of my hand. Instinctively we made our way down to where we always had bonfires. A nice set up of logs and supplies left behind.

We sat down on one of the pieces of driftwood facing the ocean. When the wind blew and I gave a shiver, PJ immediately moved to wrap an arm around my shoulders. I wouldn't fight him on this, so instead I melted into his side, letting his body heat keep me warm and comfortable. We sat on the wood for what felt like ages. There was a peaceful silence between us, one that didn't call for unnecessary small talk. Or worse, deep conversations. PJ seemed just as content to be here. At first I caught him stealing glances in my direction but they stopped after a while, once he was confident I wasn't going to run away.

I settled into replaying the events of the day, trying to think back to this morning and if I noticed any difference in PJ when I saw him. It took me several moments to remember when I saw him in the hallway. I had felt someone looking at me before I saw them. Was it him? Surely it was the imprint bond tugging me towards him. I had been excited to see him. We had certainly gotten closer during our first week of school since we had a few classes together, but I guess it never fazed me since it was normal to be close to him give our families friendship.

I don't remember him acting any differently around me though. I would have noticed him acting oddly I'm sure of it. Regardless, the main reason he hadn't said anything was because he was looking out for my feelings. By lunchtime, he was as shocked as I was when we sat down in the cafeteria after everyone rearranged seats on us. He was quiet, but I guess I just played it off as shock. I hadn't even put the pieces together until we made it to the beach.

Why on earth would PJ risk cutting school after being out for a week to comfort me? I should have known instantly but I was so self absorbed in that moment. The thought of being with Ryan felt like such a distant memory. I wouldn't dwell on him and Avery now, which was a deep tunnel I would go down when I was alone at home.

The sun was setting now, a beautiful display of orange and pinks with a small ball of yellow dipping below the ocean horizon. This very moment, I had to make a decision. I needed to move on from the past and into the future. I had been preparing for this moment my whole life. Since the day I found out about imprinting I dreamed of the day it would happen to me and I'd be damned if I ruined this moment over my own broken heart. I would want to look back on this day and remember it for how it changed my life for the better, not how I was letting it hold me back.

I leaned in closer to PJ, letting my own arm wrap around his lower back. He shifted, moving slightly so I was now sitting between his legs on the sand, his warm arms wrapping tightly around my waist. With every passing minute, I could feel his nerves subside a bit more. I put my hands on his, wanting to feel his touch under my palms. Ever so slightly, I felt his breath near my cheek. I was expecting him to say something, but instead, he leaned down and placed his lips against my shoulder.

My breath caught from his unexpected touch and involuntarily my head tilted to the side, giving him better access to the area. He wasted no time; trailing butterfly kisses up my next until he reached the spot right below ear. My heart was racing in anticipation, while my mind was telling me I should tell him to stop. His breath tickled my face as he pulled back slightly from where his lips left my skin.

"We should get going," his voice was husky and a jolt shot through my body. He stood, pulling me with him and never letting go of my waist. As we made our way back to his truck, I looked back once more to the beach. This place would always be there for me when times were hard. Just as it had been today. PJ made sure I was buckled in before reluctantly letting go of my hand to make his way back to his side of the truck. The instant he was back in, he took my hand that was readily waiting for him to grab.

We drove back to my house in comfortable silence and I nearly laughed thinking how few of words we had said to one another over the course of the day. He saw my smirk and only gave my hand a squeeze in acknowledgement. As we pulled into my driveway, I made no immediate move to leave the truck and instead turned to face PJ head on. I was nervous, but knew this was what I had to do.

"Will you be in school tomorrow?" I said. As he said yes, I couldn't help the smile that plastered on my face. Where had that come from?

"It's totally ok if you can't but was thinking maybe we could ride to school together…" I trailed off, not knowing if I should say more but thankfully he basically yelled his answer to me.

"That would be great, Kayley. I'll pick you up if you want?" The way my name rolled off his tongue, I felt as though I would melt on the spot.

"Sounds good," I said, placing my hand on the door handle. I needed to make my escape before I did anything else too embarrassing. I was halfway up the walk when I heard him call out to me. I spun around and nearly fell over when I realized how quickly he made his way over to me.

"You forgot something," he said. I barely had time to give him a confused look before he leaned down and wrapped his arms around my tiny frame. On cue, I let my own wrap their way around his waist and rest my head on his chest. I inhaled his scent one last time before pulling back slightly. He pressed his scalding lips to my forehead in an instant and was gone as quickly. I was left standing there dumfounded for a brief second before spinning on my heel and running back towards my house.

Thankfully, the house was empty since my parents were still at work and who knows where Sean was. I ran to my room, seeking shelter in my alone space for the first time today. I peeked out the window to be sure PJ was gone and couldn't hear me before flopping onto my bed. When I left for school this morning I was sure this wouldn't be how my day would end. Differently then I imagined, I felt alive lying here. So alive that I needed to calm my body down before I did something I would regret.

I moved to the bathroom, deciding a warm shower would help replace the loss of heat I had all afternoon with PJ's warm arm wrapped around. I stripped off my clothes and stepped into the sweltering water. I immediately felt the knots down my back begin to come undone. I lathered my self in soap, washing away the bad juju that was lingering. As soon as I left PJ's arms, I deciding I needed to make a plan. I needed to find a way of pushing my feelings for Ryan away and any lasting resentment towards Avery out the window. I REFUSED to be as angry as Aunty Lee. She didn't know any better but I did. It was my fault I felt this way and I would not let myself dwell on it.

As I rinsed off my body, I decided I would begin writing in a journal. Emily always kept one and said it was the one of the only honest things she has done in her life. She's turned out ok so I was hoping it would work for me too.

My next plan was to figure out how I would fit PJ into my life now that Ryan was gone from it. There was no doubt that I couldn't hangout with Ryan, especially if he was to be with Avery now. Not yet anyway. So instead of spending my time sulking, I would have to find a hobby, or a part time job. And a schedule for spending time with PJ. I wasn't heartless. I knew he would be in physical pain if we stayed away from each other. So, here I was, planning out my evening tonight, to spend planning out the rest of my nights.

I finished rinsing off my body, not realizing that the water had run cold. I had to have been in here for 20 minutes. Thankfully, I didn't hear anyone come home and my parents weren't there to scold me for using all of the water. I spent some extra time, putting lotion on my legs and arms, running a brush through my hair, and putting my warm bathrobe on.

Walking back to my room, I noticed from afar that my curtains were blowing in the wind. It was odd, since I knew I hadn't opened my window before hopping in the shower. However, as I entered my room, there were two things that caught my eye. First thing was my backpack sitting on my bed. I didn't even realize until now I had probably left it at school. Or maybe in PJ's truck. I wasn't quiet sure. The second thing was a small bundle of wild flowers wrapped at their base in a t-shirt. There was a note on my side table and I yank it up, rushing to read what it said.

 _Kayley- you left your bag in my truck and I didn't want you to miss any homework assignments. Be back at 7:15_

 _-Paul_

 _p.s. I wouldn't have wanted to imprint on anyone else_

I sat slowly on my bed, careful not to crush the flowers as I did. My heart was beating a million miles a minute and I could feel my cheeks were on fire in the seclusion of my bedroom.

He was in my bedroom. He was in my bedroom while I was in the shower. And he picked me flowers! I said at the scribbles and reread them until the image was burned in my brain. _Paul._ I never heard anyone call him that besides his mother, grandmother, and teachers on the first day of school. I was dumbfounded.

Every ounce of my being was screaming at me stay away and be upset at the spirits for giving me this fate. One I was so sure I hadn't wanted. But here I was, hands shaking, heart beating, smiling like an idiot at a few scribbles he put down on the page.

* * *

PJ's POV

Her scent lingered in my truck as I drove myself back to her house. I hadn't even noticed her backpack on the floor until I was halfway home. I turned around, excited at the thought of seeing her one last time before the night was over. I jumped out of the truck, noticing a patch of wild flowers along the edge of the woods. Without thinking twice, I grab a small bunch before running my way up to her front door. I knocked quietly and waited to hear her padding feet come to the door. I listened closely, but all I could hear was running water from upstairs. She must have jumped in the shower after I dropped her off. I tried the front door but it was locked, thankfully so.

I ran around back, thinking if the slider was open I'd drop her things off there but that too was locked. I knew I shouldn't have even thought it but before I could stop myself I was climbing the tree outside of her window and prying the thing open with a single hand. My nose was flooded with her scent the second I landed in her room. I had been in there before, as kids, but it was as though I was seeing everything for the first time. Her neatly made bed, pictures of the pack across her lavender walls, a small pile of laundry lingering on the chair…

I wanted to be quick as to not scare her by my unwelcome presence. I especially didn't want to push my luck after today. I grabbed a piece of paper from her desk and scribbled down a note. I didn't think twice about the words I'd write. I'd only hope she didn't find them overwhelming.

The flowers were a bit damp and I wasn't too sure what to do with them. I was just about to run downstairs and grab a vase when I heard the water turn off. _Shit!_ I had to act quickly, unsure of what to do. Without thinking twice I took my shirt off, wrapped the flowers at the base and left them on her bed. I jumped from her window, not bothering to climb down the tree or close the window. I ran quickly back to my truck, peeling out of her driveway as soon as the door closed.

* * *

Fluff I know. Enjoy!x


	8. Chapter 8

SM Owns all

* * *

My eyes opened slowly on Tuesday morning. They were swollen, I could tell as I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. I had spent the better half of my night crying as I tried to plan out my newfound spare time. After my shower, the sudden realization and reality of the day's events hit me hard. I had an imprint. And he was nice! So nice, too nice. I knew PJ and loved him as I did everyone else, but I never dreamed that he would be my soul mate.

I wrote in a journal about how I was feeling. Though I only got a few sentences down, I found it surprisingly therapeutic. I jotted down how the events of the day unfolded, taking special detail to how PJ looked at me yesterday at the beach. And how he held me all day, making sure not to leave until I was ok.

My mother came in with dinner and listened as I told her what happened today. Her knowing look led me to believe she already knew what happened, but she patiently sat and listened to me. She understood when I asked to be alone the rest of he night. With a kiss to my forehead, she left me alone the rest of the night. Neither my father nor Sean came into my room either. I didn't even hear Sean come home at all.

As I made my way to our shared bathroom, I was surprised to see him dressed for the day and making his way downstairs.

"You're up early," I said with a soft smile.

"Yeah, I'm leaving a bit earlier today if that's alright," he said while rubbing the back of his neck. He looked nervous and I was unsure why.

"What's up, Sean?" I said, not bothering to beat around the bush today.

"I wanted to talk to you actually." He's nervous, I can tell. I looked at him expectantly. "Well, I know you heard mum and dad the other day talking. And well, I imprinted and thought you should know," he said; now with a large grin on his face. I vaguely remember this conversation my parents were having. It seemed like years ago at this point.

"On who?!" I said enthusiastically. I wanted him to know he I was happy for him in the midst of all this craziness. His face fell a bit when I asked, clearly nervous to tell me.

"I imprinted on Lily," he said while looking down at his feet. My jaw slacked a bit unwillingly and I had to quickly recover so he didn't see notice. I threw my arms around him so show him I approved, even though imprinting on a child was a bit strange. Lily was only 2 years older then Claire when Uncle Quil imprinted on her. That couldn't have been a coincidence, could it?

"I'm so happy for you, Sean," I said quietly while my face was pressed to his chest. And I was happy for him. Sean expressed a few times that he was excited at the thought of having an imprint. I'm sure he didn't plan on it being a child, but happy all the same.

"Us Cameron kids couldn't catch a break, huh," he said with a small chuckle. I knew he was only kidding, trying to gage my reaction to bringing up my imprint situation.

"PJ's actually picking me up this morning," I said while wiggling my eyebrows at him.

"Dude, you should have heard him last night on patrol. The kid was running around like a crazy kid. That's nice of you though, letting him be near you and stuff," he said that vaguely and I instantly blushed. My father would no what happened yesterday and I only prayed he was nice to PJ about it.

"Yeah, well…I know what it's like Sean. We grew up around this," giving him a knowing look. "Where are you off to so early anyway?" realizing I was probably holding him up.

"Their letting me bring Lily to school and pick her up everyday! Sweet isn't it! I'm also allowed to stay for dinner on Monday and Wednesday's and she's going to start coming on Sunday's for family dinner." He walked his way down the stairs. Just as he was about to walk from the door, he turned back to me. "Kayley, I can't believe this is happening. Can you?"

"Just starting to wrap my head around it," I gave him a wink and walked back into the bathroom. I pulled myself together quickly, not realizing how much time Sean and I had spent talking. A jean jacket and leggings would do just fine and I left my hair in its usual long and flowy way down my back. I put a touch of makeup on to cover my puffy eyes and ran downstairs to make a quick shake on my way out the door. As I ran down the stairs I noticed PJ was already in the driveway. It was only 7:05 but I'm sure he couldn't help it.

I flew open the door, signally for him to come inside. I ran to the kitchen, leaving the door open for him to follow me. I pulled a few things out of the cabinets that I would need for school before putting a few muffins in a bag for PJ. I could feel his presence behind me, before he said anything. I spun around with a smile on my face. Trying to greet him before he noticed the puffiness of my face.

"Hi," his face fell a bit when my eyes met him, but I beat him to say something, trying to avoid the conversation.

"Hi, sorry I'm running late! Let me grab my stuff and were good to go," I said while maneuvering around him quickly. He didn't protest or say anything further and I was glad. He did however grab my backpack before I could and insisted on holding my lunch too. I rolled my eyes but gave them to him without a fight. I had been around wolves too long to know when it was a fight worth having.

He walked me around to my side of the car, putting my stuff on the seat between us while I put my seatbelt on. My heat was hammering in my chest as his arms were across my body, getting everything situated. It was amazing the effect he had on me already after not even 24 hours of knowing I was his imprint. I'm sure he could tell I was blushing because as he moved back, he had the largest smirk I'd ever seen. I wanted to say something but didn't.

He immediately reached for my hand the second we were in the car and I let him take it. People would already be talking at school about Ryan and I not talking yesterday so why bother hiding this. I relaxed into the seat, happy to see the bright sun shinning again today. For early September, this was the best weather we could hope for. We drove in a comfortable silence, arriving to the Res School a bit too quickly. I hadn't realized the groan I let out until I head PJ chuckle next to me.

"What?" I said in a bit of a whiny tone. Jokingly of course and glad to see him only smile in my direction.

"We don't have to go in yet, we still have some time," he said pointing to the clock on the dash. It was true; we had about 10 minutes until the bell would ring for us to make it to our first class. Then another 4 minutes until the bell rang for school to start. We had time I agreed. I forgot I had brought some muffins with us and grabbed the bag from the floor. When I gave one to PJ, his eyes lit up like he hit the lottery. I kept one for myself but gave the remainder to him.

"So, any good plans for after school?" I said, looking out towards the trees that surrounded the parking lot behind the school.

"I patrolled yesterday, so nothing really. I told Shea I would get dinner with her if you want to come?" I readily agreed before thinking about it. It wouldn't be the worst thing to check in on Shea and see how she was doing anyway. PJ's smile lit up the truck. It was nice to see him so happy. This was a new side to the serious guy I grew up with. I tilted my head in PJ's direction with a sigh.

"We should probably head in, huh?" I said reluctantly. I let go of his hand to gather up my things, making it a point that I would personally carry in my belongings no matter how much he wanted to help. He was out of the truck and opening my door in an instant. A sweet smiled played across my lips thinking of if a boy had ever opened the door for me. His warm hand was instantly wrapped up in mine and I surprised myself when I didn't immediately pull it away.

This was my life and I would move on when I was ready. Although I wasn't ready, it also wasn't fair to keep PJ in pain. So, I'd keep this up for as long as it would take. There were definitely stares coming towards us as we made our way to my locker, but we both ignored them, keeping to ourselves. He moved to placing his hand on my lower back, directing me through the large crowds. His body was close and the heat was a mix of comfort and something I couldn't quiet put my finger on.

We took a quick stop at my locker, grabbing what I needed for the morning. I almost forgot I had left midday yesterday and quickly thought up an excuse as to why I would have left.

English was business as usual. PJ let go of my hand eventually but I felt his knee touching mine under the desk. Having physical contact was important to him clearly and I didn't make any move to pull my leg away.

This began our routine from class to class. Those that we had together, we would sit close, getting our work done with our legs touching under the table. Occasionally he would rest his hand on my leg, but never for long. In classes we didn't have together, we would walk hand in hand to the door and he would promise to be back as soon as the bell rang. Ryan never walked me to class. Probably because we didn't have any of the same classes and would just plan on seeing each other during the lunch hour.

When the bell rang for lunch, PJ suggested eating outside at one of the picnic tables. The weather was nice and I honestly don't think I was ready to see everyone again after yesterday's events so I agreed. We sat in a fair silence during lunch. Each of us eating our food quietly. I was surprised when no one came to join us after a while. I didn't want to seem rude, but I also didn't want to be in there. It's not like this was easy for Ryan either. Even though he imprinted on Avery, I knew he still cared for me as I did for him.

When the bell rang, I groaned thinking of going back to the classes I had ditched yesterday. Thankfully I had gym and creative writing to end the day. Two bogus classes that required little work. Ryan walked me all the way to the girl's locker room. A few girls in my class passed by with curious looks but I ignored them. In another two years I wouldn't see these people so what did it matter. I was pulled from my thoughts when we heard a howl come through woods. It was Uncle Sam from what I could tell and a bit of an urgent call at that. An instant shiver went down my spine at the noise.

PJ's ears were perked in the direction the noise came from. He quickly pulled me into a hug, putting his lips right to my ear before I had time to react.

"I'll be back soon, I promise," he said while holding me close. He pressed his lips to my forehead, lingering there longer then he had in the past. The heated sensation made me feel light headed. I pulled back slightly, giving him a reassuring smile before letting my arms drop to my side. With one last look he took off in the direction of the doors leading back to the parking lot.

Instantly I felt the familiar wrench in my stomach I always got when the wolves were called out. But this time it was different. I felt a longing, a sadder ping in my chest. I rushed into my class, knowing it would be best to take my mind off of things while they were gone.

Class was a blur. We were playing baseball out on the field and to say sports really weren't my thing was an understatement. My job for the class was to pick up the equipment and was glad I didn't have to do much else. Hannah, another junior who I had a few classes with, made small talk with me as we chased balls and put them into a large bucket.

"You going to the fire this Friday?" Hannah said while we sat on the bench, leaving the rest of the equipment for another pour soul to pick up. The upper classmen always hosted a bonfire one of the Friday's in September. They were always wild, usually pulling in a group of kids from Forks also. It was strictly for juniors and seniors. Last year we begged the guys to let us come but even they refused. Ryan gave me sad eyes and told me I could the next year. Avery and I watched from her house, where we had a small view of the beach.

"Honestly, I forgot it was this weekend. Are you going?" I asked. I didn't plan on going anymore. Things were different now and I'm sure it wouldn't be the same party for me I had always dreamed of going to.

"Of course I'm going! And so are you, so don't give me that look! Everyone goes, Kayley. You know that!" She rolled her eyes at me, probably thinking how crazy I was to consider not going.

"Yeah, maybe I'll go," I said. Truthfully, I would need to talk to everyone before it would be ok for me to show my face there. I knew things were weird with the whole pack probably because of me. We finished our duties and class was over before we knew it. I dressed in an instant, anxious to see if PJ would be back yet.

When the bell rang, I waited a minute in the hallway, looking around, hoping to see his face making his way down the fall. When it didn't, I rushed my way to my final class. This class was a joke. The reason why I took it last period. I tried my best not to count the minutes until class was over, but it was hard not to glance at the clock every few minutes anyway.

When 2:19 came around, I all but jumped from my chair, pushing past a few boys to get to the hallway. I felt the relief before I saw his face. I actually felt his hand on mine before I saw his face too. He had been leaning against the wall of the hallway next to the door and in my rush I didn't even notice him there. I let out a sigh of relief, before turning fully into PJ's arms.

His tense body relaxed on mine, knowing he was probably feeling the same way. I tilted my head up, giving him a small smile, letting him know I was happy to have him back.

"Let's get going," he said while pulling my bag off my shoulder. He didn't have any of his things so he must have come right here. He put his free arm around my shoulder and I let him pull me closer to his side. The wrench in my stomach was gone now and replaced with a calm wave.

* * *

PJ and I spent the afternoon doing homework at his kitchen table. We were quiet while getting it done, taking the occasional break to talk with his mom or dad about random things. When his mom hugged me she whispered in my ear, "Welcome to the family." PJ would have died if he heard that which is why I was sure he hadn't.

We had dinner with Shea at the diner. My heart broke for her. She was doing her best to keep Michael happy but he was more persistent then PJ was being. He was constantly asking her to spend time together. It had only been 3 days for crying out loud! And she wasn't ready to move on yet. I don't think any of us knew the extent of her and Cole's relationship but we were now finding out it hadn't been as wholesome as we once thought.

All in all, the dinner was nice and I was happy to spend time with PJ and Shea. It was nice seeing him comfort his younger sister in her time of heartbreak. I couldn't help but blush when his protective side came out, making a threat to Michael to treat Shea well.

He walked me all the way to my front door after dinner. It was awkward enough with Shea in the car but she only laughed at her older brother's persistentness. With a quick hug and kiss to the forehead, he was gone once more with a promise to pick me up at the same time and place tomorrow.

* * *

The next two days went by quickly. The same routine of PJ coming to my house just a bit too early so we could spend a few extra minutes together in the parking lot before first bell rang. We would eat lunch outside at the picnic table, and still no one made a move to bother us. Shea joined us on Thursday but otherwise, PJ and I had the time to ourselves.

He walked me to each class, making sure I had all my books and homework before leaving. Our steady rhythm was nice, something I wasn't quiet yet used to. We didn't talk much during our time together. It was more of an understood need of physical contact that kept us together. Obviously I enjoyed his company, but he was respecting my space for sure by always waiting for me to initiate a conversation. I could tell he was worried he would say something to upset me since the only topics he brought up were school and our families.

By the time Friday rolled around, I was exhausted. It was taking a toll on me trying to avoid members of the pack left and right. It was a small school after all and there were only so many places to hide. It was conflicting mainly because there was no reason at this point for me to be avoiding everyone. I just didn't know what to say. I wanted everyone to pretend I wasn't there and go on with life as normal. But I knew it weren't that easy. I'd have to confront Avery and Ryan eventually. I asked PJ briefly about them, just making sure they were ok and he said things were fine so we dropped it.

When the final bell of the day rang, I was already waiting by the door to make my exit. PJ was waiting with my things from my locker already, saving us a stop before leaving for the day. He had convinced me to go to the bonfire tonight, though I was reluctant. He promised we could leave as soon as I wanted to and I believed him. Hannah and a few other girls from class said they would meet me there too so it would be enough for me to go for a little while.

PJ and I left the building hand in hand, the same way we did the last few days. When we were nearly to his truck, I noticed someone standing by the passenger door. It was Avery. I instantly panicked, not ready to have to confront her. Not yet! Not today!

Her pained look when she saw me was enough to make me crumble. I instantly let go of PJ and instinctively ran into my best friends arms. My tears were falling without permission and I could feel her slightly shaking below me as well. I held on to her tight, not even noticing PJ opening the truck door behind me and putting both of our things inside.

"Why don't you girls get in? I'll drop you off down at the beach," he said. We nodded in agreement, still holding onto each other tightly. I climbed in first and Avery was right behind me. We drove in silence, my fingers laced on one side in PJ's hand and on the other side with Avery's. When we reached the beach, it was an unspoken conversation between PJ and I that he would go tell Ryan where we were and let us girls talk. As he got out of the truck, I leaned over and placed a small kiss to his cheek. The blush that was creeping on my face was undeniable but I kept a smile there and didn't acknowledge it.

As he shut the truck door, I turned to face Avery. She had silent tears running down her face, but a knowing smile crept onto her lips. I knew this was a time for us to use our words, but neither of us did. Instead, I wrapped my arms as tightly as I could around her neck, pulling her so she was basically on my lap. Avery and I had been inseparable our whole lives. Our birthdays were 3 weeks apart and you'd have thought we were sisters by our closeness.

Avery didn't do anything wrong and I needed her to know I wasn't mad at her. She was my best friend for crying out loud. She was the one to push me to set the whole 'day at the rock with Ryan' up in the first place! She'd never do anything to intentionally hurt me, I knew that. But she did need to know that seeing her with Ryan would hurt. And it would be hypocritical to be with PJ in front of them. Which is why I had been avoiding them all week.

"I'm so sorry, Kayls," she said, pulling back from our hug to look at my face. She was the one to break the silence and I would commend her later for it.

"No, I'm sorry Av. This wasn't your fault. I have no reason to be upset with you. I'm just sad that this happened, ya know?" I said. That wasn't exactly true. Over the course of the week, I could feel my broke heart mending and the hole Ryan left being filled with new emotions revolving around PJ. Not that I would admit that out loud.

"I know, but it still sucks. I can't be with him, Kayls. He's yours! I wouldn't…couldn't do that to you," she said earnestly. I could feel her heart break with every word coming from her mouth. She knew as well as I did that the imprint bond was not to be broken, no matter how much you were against it. It was a powerful thing and denying it was nearly impossible. So, as she said these words, I could only imagine the utter pain, physical pain her body was enduring.

"He's not _mine_ Avery. Maybe he was for a time but even then you could argue he wasn't really," I said with a slight chuckle. "He's your soul mate Avery. The spirits have bonded you together and it we may wonder why right now, but it'll all be clear to us eventually. You just have to trust your gut on this one. It's the only thing keeping me from being a puddle every morning when I wake up. You just have to have some faith."

This was the pep talk I needed someone to give me. This was the reason I was letting PJ in, even though every ounce of my being was shouting to stay away.

"The spirits can be a bunch of dicks sometimes though, honestly," she said. Avery was coming back to her normal self. "Like why would they let us do all that shit in the first place. Can't they just steer us in the right direction from the beginning?" She looked up to the ceiling of the truck, hands in the air, saying the next part. "Ya'll better watch out, when we're spirits were gonna kick your asses."

I was laughing now, this girl killed me. Only she would blame the spirits for our fates instead of praising them. I reached over, giving her one more hug.

"Love you, sis," I said, giving her waist a tight squeeze.

"Love you too baby girl. What do you say we find the boys and head to my place to get ready for tonight?" she said giving me a look. I nodded my head and was about to open the truck door when Avery simply rolled her window down and screamed Ryan and PJ's name aloud. I stifled a laugh, knowing the boys would kill her for her sudden outburst. Sure enough, they both instantly showed up, shirtless, at the truck within 30 seconds.

We'll I'll be damn does PJ look good without a shirt on. My eyes wandered on his chest for a second too long and I know he caught me looking by the smirk on his face. This was the third time today. When the boys realized there was no immediate threat, Avery explained what our plan was for the evening. As Avery chatted away, I stole a look in Ryan's direction.

He looked at me for the first time since I had seen him on Saturday. I was prepared for instant pain but was surprised when nothing really happened. I felt _nothing._ He gave me a quick smile, which I retuned quietly. Our truce was made and I was thankful it didn't have to be any more then that silent exchange. At least for now.

We all piled into PJ's truck. We planned on dropping Avery and Ryan off back at school so they could get his jeep. Then PJ and I would go to his house so he could drop his truck off and walk to Avery's. Her house was closest to the beach so it made the most sense. As soon as Avery and Ryan were out of the truck, I scooted myself into the middle seat. I was ready for PJ to protest since there was no seatbelt in the middle but surprisingly he only raised his arm to rest it across my shoulders, pulling me into his side.

I inhaled his woodsy scent, letting that and his warmth sooth my soul on our drive back to his house. He rubbed at the side of my arm and I relished in the tingling feeling in my chest as he did. Not even a week and this kid had me feeling all sorts of ways.

His parents were still at work and neither of his siblings was home as we pulled into the driveway. PJ insisted I leave my things in his truck, saying he would bring them to me first thing in the morning. He ran around to my side of the truck and I smiled once again as he opened the door for me. This kid.

PJ ran upstairs to change and I said I would wait in the kitchen for him. I had basically grown up at the Lahote household. Uncle Paul and my father were best friends, had been since they were kids. So the standard, _my house is your house,_ rang true here. I opened the fridge and pulled a few snacks out. He would be hungry and who knew if there would be food tonight.

I pulled myself up to sit on the counter next to the fridge, pulling a cheese string apart and sipping on a bottle of water. I looked around the cute house. The same as it had been my whole life, filled with pictures of the family everywhere.

PJ came back down about 10 minutes later. I was surprised to see his hair was wet and he had a full outfit on. He must have jumped through the shower at light speed. The guys were never fully clothed except when they were at school so I was surprised to see PJ in shorts and s-shirt.

"I pulled us out some snacks," I said, handing him over a bag of goldfish and bottle of water. Instead of taking them from my hands, he walked right up and placed his hands on my thighs. Being at eye level with PJ was smoldering. His eyes were burning into mine and my hands dropped to the counter, still filled with different snacks.

My breath was catching and his eyes turned from their normal soft brown to a deep-sea color. His warm breath was on my face, smelling of mint since he had just brushed his teeth. I was frozen in place. As the seconds ticked by, neither of us moved. We were stuck in our place, staring longingly into one another's eyes.

His eyes unintentionally darted to look at my lips and mine immediately did the same. Was I moving closer to his face or was he moving towards me? I was blinking fast and eventually let my eyes drift closed when there was only his cheek left to look at. His cheek was on mine now and I could nearly feel the outline of his lips. Every part of my body was inching me forward.

When our lips met, a chill ran from my head through my toes. A spark went off in my chest and I was so overwhelmed in emotions I thought I would faint off the counter below me. I pushed on him further, unable to help myself as I molded my lips against his. This kiss was unlike anything I'd ever had before. It was sweet and gentle but intense. Just as I was about to set on fire from his lips on mine, he trailed away from my mouth, kissing his way down my neck until he reached the bare skin of my collarbone. He sat with his lips pressed there and I audibly inhaled the breath I was holding for too long. By the time he pulled back, my body was weak.

He rested his forehead on mine and grabbed the gold fish from my hand. Without moving, he ripped open the bag and shoved a handful in his mouth. I laughed out loud at that. What in the world had just happened?!

PJ finally took a step back away from me. "We should probably get going," he said, lifting me off the counter in a swift movement. I wasn't kidding when I said my legs felt weak but luckily, PJ stayed with one arm wrapped around my waist the entire time. PJ grabbed a few things from around the kitchen, throwing them into a backpack. I leaned against the counter watching him move around here and there. I smirk when he waved a bottle of Jack Daniel's at me before walking towards the cabinet.

"I didn't know you drank?" I said, giving him a jab, as he got closer.

"You don't know a lot about me, Kayley." He was now pulling to glasses from the cabinet, pour us a small shot from the bottle. "Cheers to new beginnings?" he said, more of a question then a statement. I cheersed his glass before dumping the contents into my mouth. He grabbed my glass, not saying another word and put it into the dishwasher.

"Ready to go?" he said, holding his hand out for me to take.

"Absolutely." And with a smile, PJ and I left hand his house hand in hand, walking right into the woods to walk the trail that leads from his house to the Black's.

"How about I save you some steps?" he said, handing over the backpack. I couldn't help the squeal that escaped my mouth. I was about to ride PJ's wolf form to Avery's.

This would be interesting.


	9. Chapter 9

SM owns all

* * *

PJ's POV

As I walked into the woods behind her house, I could feel her eyes on me. I told her to stay by the tree, not moving an inch until I was back. I quickly tied my shirt and shorts to my ankle, phasing right away, not wanting to keep Kayley waiting too long. Charlie and Uncle Seth were on patrol. I knew they'd both keep their mouth's shut about me letting Kayley ride on my back since I'm sure her father would hit the roof if he knew what I was about to do.

 _Keep that thought to yourself, kid. I want to enjoy my last few days on patrol, not be rung out by Sam or Jared,_ Seth thought. I agreed in my head, letting my mind solely focuse on getting back to Kayley.

God was she amazing. She was squatting down in front of the tree, playing with a pile of dirt at her feet. She looked so cute sitting like that; I couldn't help the gruff I let out. Her head shot up at the noise and her eyes instantly went wide. A small smile played on her lips, thankfully no fear in sight.

I walked over slowly, stopping when I was about 5 feet away. I lay all the way down so she could climb on my back. It was still tough for her to get on though and she was laughing the second time she slid off unsuccessful. I could hear Charlie laughing at me in my head, thinking of Veronica trying to climb on his back unsuccessfully. I looked around to see if there was a rock or something she could climb on to help her up but there was nothing.

I couldn't help the whine that escaped my mouth.

"It's alright," she said with an airily laugh. I would seriously listen to that all day. I must have been gawking at her because she basically shooed me away while walking back to her spot next to the tree.

Well that plan failed rather quickly.

 _Dude, just give her a piggyback ride instead. Same thing you just wont be as gross and you can actually talk to her._ Charlie was in my head now. An imagine of her legs wrapped around my waist and hands on my neck...

 _Hey, enough! Get out of here or I'm putting you on patrol._ Uncle Seth went to say something else but I was already gone. I never changed so fast and had to cool it with the running before I got to her. Once again her beauty took me aback. Her long hair with the slight wave, collarbone peaking out above her shirt…

"That was fast," she sat up from her pile of dirt, brushing her shoe over it to even it back out.

"Didn't want to keep you waiting." I turned around so my back was now facing her and knelt down. Her laugh came out booming and I only turned around with a smile on my face.

"I told you I'd save you some steps, now get on."

I was expecting her to protest but instead I felt her warm arms wrap tightly around my neck. I reached back and pulled her legs forward, wrapping them around my waist. I kept my hands there on her legs. I knew she could hold herself up not doubt but it was an excuse nonetheless.

We started out on our walk to Avery's in silence. It would only take about 10 minutes, maybe 15 if I walked slowly and I was going to savor every minute of it. This week had been one for the books. The longest, shortest week of my life. Honestly, I never would have thought it would go so well, and that I had to give huge props to Kayley for. With everything that happened to her, she never once tried to shut me out. Not once. We had our little routine at this point and I was fine with that. As long as I didn't push too much, she was fine with me being there. Obviously I wanted more, I'd always want more. But the fact that she currently has her legs wrapped around my waist without a fuss is enough for me to pass out.

We were halfway there now and I could feel her rest her head against my back. I wish I could see what she was doing. Her breathing was steady, calm and relaxed. It was a surprisingly nice day out for mid September. Even without my super hearing you could hear the waves in the distance, birds chirping away and leaves blowing around. This was my favorite time of year. The days were still long but fall was inching closer.

I knew we were close when the smell of the forest changed. Aunt Nessie's smell barely bothered me. It was nothing compared to her parents and aunts and uncles. The smell alone on the day we first phased was enough to make you want to die. But this smell, it was more of a shift in smells. Different but not terrible. I knew we were getting close to the Black's house and my alone time with Kayley was dwindling and I wasn't quiet ready for that.

I gently rubbed my hands along the length of her arms that were wrapped around my neck, feeling chills immediately run the length of her arms. I inwardly nearly jumped from the ground. The imprint bond was doing this no doubt, but it didn't stop my victory dance. I could feel her smile on my back; it was small but still there. We were now by the tree house built a ways into the woods that kept extra clothes and food for us wolves. Close enough to the house but far enough and out of sight.

"I can walk the rest of the way."

I held in the groan that I so badly almost let slip, and instead bent lower to the ground and loosened my grip on her legs. Her legs sprung free and her weight was gone. Just when I was about to sulk away and let her lead me into the now clear house in the distance, her warm hand was pulling on mine.

Confused, I looked down at her to see her looking right at me. A smile was playing across her lips, her head tilted a bit to the side.

"What?" I said, now with my own smile plastered on my face. God this girl would kill me.

I don't know who was moving towards whom, but Kayley was now on her tiptoes, leaning her face in my direction. Her eyes were closed, lips slightly parted. Her complexion was flushed and I could feel her heart racing in her chest. I must have moved because there is no way she could have reached me otherwise. For the love of God this was really happening for the second time today. Her lips were on mine for the briefest of seconds before she pulled away, setting her toes back to the ground.

I barely had time to register the tingling on my lips before she was breaking free and heading towards the house. It took me a second to register what she was doing but I reached out, playfully grabbing her hand and pulling her back towards me. I quickly wrapped one arm around her waist, and placed a quick kiss to her forehead.

I don't know what is going on between us but holy hell I'm on fire. Avery and Ryan were out back when we emerged through the woods, sitting around the table having a drink. Nate and Lizzie where there too and I was surprised to see my sister Jessica in a chair at the far end of the table. Avery jumped up, basically running down the grass towards Kayley and I.

"What took you guys so long?! We have to get ready so we can go!"

She was pulling at Kayley's empty hand and I knew I was going to loose this fight. Kissing her in public was out of the question so I settle with giving her hand a squeeze.

The two girls ran into the house, bounding their way up the stairs to do God knows what. I walked over to the table, finding an empty chair and putting the backpack down by my feet. I greeted everyone with a hello, except for my sister who I shot a smirk to.

"How's she doing?" Charlie said, while passing me over one of his beers from the cooler.

Charlie was the oldest of us all, surprisingly since he was so much like Uncle Embry and immature as shit. I was a bit worried when he imprinted on my sister since he was such a player but my sister is a tough cookie for sure. She'll keep him in his place.

"Surprisingly good, actually. I think relieved to make up with Avery. I could tell that was really bothering her, whether she wanted to say it or not."

Everyone nodded in agreement but I avoided meeting Ryan's eyes. I had been in his head a few times this week and I knew he was torn up about how things went down. I think mostly too he was feeling the weight of his own imprint feeling upset and that was a double whammy for him.

"Yeah, I thought this was going to cause a lot more drama then it has so good for you guys," my sister said, looking back and forth between Ryan and I.

"I mean, we all grew up in this world and kinda had a better heads up about it then Sam and Aunty Leah…Kayley and I talked about it a few times, but I don't know, it sucks either way but I'm glad she's doing well."

Ryan was awkwardly babbling now, but I was trying not to listen. I didn't care to hear him talk about Kayley. I like Ryan, but it was nice having some space from him this week to let Kayley and I sort things out on our own.

We all sat there, sipping our drinks and waiting on the girls to come down. Every few minutes you could hear one of them say something I'm sure was inappropriate then both start dying laughing. It was another 15 minutes before they came back outside and my heart nearly stopped when I locked eyes with Kayley. God I would have to thank Avery later.

Kayley was now dressed in some white shorts and some black tank top thing that was tucked into her shorts. It kind of looked like a bathing suit, but I'm sure it's not. I didn't dwell on it; I was too focused on taking in the rest of her beauty. Her wavy hair was long and flowing down over her shoulders. She had a hint of make up on, making her face glow and eyes stand out.

Kayley was beautiful. I had always thought that, long before I imprinted on her. She was a Quileute girl to the core. But seeing her now, this was sexy. I was so turned on; I coughed and adjusted my eyes having realized I was probably staring for a bit too long.

"Ready to go?" she said, reaching down to grab the backpack from my feet. That's when I noticed her entire back was exposed. I don't know what type of shirt this was but I was writing a letter to the owner to thank them later. I quickly reached out and grabbed the bag from Kayley, and instead placed my hand in hers, following behind the rest of the gang who was walking down the path towards the beach.

* * *

Kayley's POV

I couldn't believe I let Avery put me into this outfit. I felt like a damn idiot. The shorts were tight, the shirt was nuts and the fact I didn't have a real bra on but stupid sticky pads on was crazy. The only thing I agreed to was the make up and hair, which I forced her not to go to crazy on. I almost hauled my ass backup stairs until I saw the look on PJ's face. If we were in private it would have been different. I probably would have jumped in his lap and kiss him breathless like he had down to me earlier today. But we weren't and I basically had to step in front of him to block him out of view of everyone so they couldn't see his jaw on the floor.

We were walking down to the beach now and I was anxious hearing the mass amounts of people below us. The trail that led from the Black's house down to the beach was easy to maneuver until you had to climb from the rocks to the sand. As soon as we hit the rocks, I felt the wind under my legs and before I knew what was going on PJ was carrying me down the rocks. I inhaled his woodsy scent briefly, taking in the momentary closeness and heat from his body.

The beach was packed already, music blaring off in the distance, a huge fire near the water, and cooler after cooler were scattered around the beach. We made our way over to our typical spot. A bunch of the pack was there already and I was happy to see Sean hanging out with a few of his football buddies. Ryan set our cooler out for us to put some drinks into. I wasn't planning on drinking anything but Avery insisted I have a beer to loosen up a bit.

One beer turned into two, which turned into five, and all of a sudden I was being pulled out towards a group of people dancing by Veronica and Avery. My friend Hannah from class was there but I couldn't tell if she was hugging me or dancing with me. My world was spinning much to my dismay and I knew I should cool it with the drinks. I handed my full beer over to Avery, who took it willingly, slugging back a big sip.

There was a cool breeze coming off the ocean and the need for fresh air was immediate. I yelled to Avery that I was going back to the group but instead b-lined towards the water. Since the weather was cool, not many kids were down here, just a few poking around and dipping their feet into the water. I kept walking down to the right, past the last couple that had probably snuck away for some alone time.

My vision was a bit blurry and I couldn't make out who it was, but I waved non-the less and kept on down the beach. Once I felt like I was far enough away to finally breathe, I sat my butt on the sand, leaving my knees bent but lying down with my bare back on the sand. It was cold, instantly sending a shiver down my spine.

"Kayley?"

I knew who it was before he spoke. I could feel him, his presence. I tried to lift my head but it was heavy and instead I just rolled onto my side. I didn't realize I was so drunk and was laughing at how stupid I felt. Or maybe it was because I fell over? Tears were forming in my eyes and as much as I was trying to pull myself together, it wasn't working.

"What's going on?" PJ was laughing now too somewhere off in the distance.

I couldn't stop. My laugh was silent, wheezing-like and it only made me laugh harder. PJ's body heat was next to me now so I tilted my head back in the sand to look up at him. God was he beautiful. Had he always been this beautiful? My laughing was subsiding as I looked into PJ's eyes. They were dark. Darker then the chocolate brown I was used. He was sexy, so damn sexy.

I didn't tell my brain to reach up and grab his face but I'm pretty sure that was my hand in the air in front of me. I let my fingers caress his cheek, rubbing at the stubble along his jaw. His warm hand pressed against mine, holding me to him.

I couldn't help how fast my heart was beating, but I'm sure I heard it about to burst in my chest. I let my head drop back to the sand with a huff. Before I could think straight, PJ was on me, he was everywhere all at once. His hands were in my hair, lips hungrily pressed against my mouth. He pulled me up so I was straddling his lap and my arms instantly found their way around his neck.

I was kissing him back with such fury, I wasn't sure we could get any closer. When his tongue trailed its way along my lips, I felt tingles in all parts of my body. His tongue was soft and like heaven, the groan that escaped my lips was completely involuntary but it only pushed PJ to pull me closer.

Off in the distance somewhere, kids were drinking and partying, dancing, probably doing exactly what PJ and I were doing. The music was still loud, I wondered what time it was?

I finally turned my head, needing to let the fresh night air fill my lungs. PJ's lips trailed wet kisses down my neck, not wanting to stop the constant contact with my skin. For the first time I could smell the whiskey on his breath, strong and sweet, making my head spin.

Suddenly, I was standing, untangling myself from PJ's warm body. I took a step back, stumbling, nearly falling back to the sand but caught myself before I let that happen.

"Where are you going?" his voice was amused, watching me stumble around the sand.

"I…I need to go… go home now," I was stuttering, looking anywhere but at PJ. He was standing now; I could feel his heat getting closer. I took another step back. What _was_ I doing?

"Just hang on, what's going on?" concern was in his voice now. My lips were trembling softly. Tears were prickling my eyes and for the first time I looked at PJ. His whole being was expressing concern, the amused look gone. He was standing far enough away and all I wanted was him to hold me closer.

Why was I crying? What was I doing?

"I just…" I was sniffling now, unable to hold back the sobs escaping from my lips. " I want to go home."

He nodded once, and told me to stay put while he grabbed my stuff. He was gone and back in two minutes, holding the backpack and a bottle of water. He handed it to me and I gladly accepted it. He turned around, lowering himself like he did earlier. I wrapped my arms around his neck and then my legs around his waist. I let my head drop to his back, allowing my sobs to break upon his back. He was tense, I could tell. Not the soft, warm, and inviting PJ he had been on the way here. I could tell he was focused, moving quickly.

The ten minute walk back was quiet yet quick. I had mostly calmed down now, but every now and again a hiccup would escape my chest. When he walked up my front steps, he swiftly made to put me down at my front door. I unfolded myself from PJ, letting my feet fall to the ground and arms hang at my side. I shifted uncomfortably from one foot to another, not sure whether I should say something or run inside and hide.

"I'll call you tomorrow?" I said, looking up at him from beneath my eyelashes.

"Yes, of course! Call me anytime, you know that."

He had a soft smile, unsure but reassuring. Just as I was turning to open the door, PJ got my attention once more.

"Goodnight, Kayley."

"Night, Paul."

His eyes caught mine, staring at them for a few seconds longer. I turned, needing to escape his close proximity. I rushed to my room, calling quickly to let my parents know I was home early and ran to my room.

Just as the door closed I hear it. _A howl._ One I would recognize now as PJ's howl.

Agonizing, unsure, sad…it was not a happy howl.

What the hell is wrong with me?


	10. Chapter 10

SM owns all

* * *

"Kayley could you please tell me the answer to number 5…..Ms. Cameron?" Ummm, was the teacher just talking to me? "Ms. Cameron do you or do you not have the answer to number 5?" Shit, I guess he was. Number 5, number 5…I have no idea what number 5 is. I don't even know what were talking about. Just when I was about to admit to having no idea what we were doing, a piece of paper was slipped on my desk.

"Is it uhh, 14?"

"Yes it is, now thank your neighbor for the help, and please pay attention." Mr. Tate said before turning to write on the board and continue with the lesson. Instead of thanking my neighbor, I grabbed the sheet of paper, crumbled it up, and threw it in my bag. Right now I was having move problems paying attention to his lessons then ever before and I was not about to look in his direction. Conveniently my partner transferred schools so now the second chair at my desk is empty. And now, I am sitting here, with my mind in mush and PJ's insane body heat melting into me. Literally, there is nothing going through my head.

I was exhausted today, not having got much sleep the last few nights. Saturday was a long day. My parents were pissed when I came home drunk, livid really. I thought dad was going to phase in the kitchen, but quickly calmed down when they saw me crying. When they knew I wasn't going to give up any information on what happened, they changed routes and grounded me for two weeks. I could see the pained look in my mother's eye when I didn't even protest the punishment.

I stayed in my room all day, crying my eyes out until it was dark again. My mum brought me soup and a grilled cheese but I let it sit on the desk, not having an appetite what's-so-ever. My mind was so numb I couldn't even form together what was bothering me. I had been so fine with how things had been going with PJ all week I knew it hadn't been that. He was being so patient with me, taking things way slower then I ever imagined it would happen. Then the kisses, oh the kisses.

Once I got to that I had to clear my head and start the thinking cycle over again. Sunday wasn't much better. Sean tried to talk with me, begging me really to talk to PJ but I just couldn't. They had patrol together and he said it was painful being in his head. It tore me apart knowing he was upset, which only made me spiral further.

I don't know what was wrong with me but I couldn't see him, not until I figured out what the hell was the matter with me. I spent all of Sunday in my room again, cleaning my clothes and bookshelves to keep from having to talk with anyone. I nearly passed out when I heard PJ come to the front door. My father answered and I was instantly scared for his safety. I almost ran downstairs out of instinct, but I did everything I could to stay put. When I didn't hear yelling, a bit of relief washed through me.

Over the course of the two days, PJ left me three text messages. All of which I ignored. The first one said, _are you ok?_ The second said, _please call me if you need anything._ And the third, _always know I love you, ok?_

I sighed at my desk thinking of the messages. I knew PJ had to be torn up about how I acted on Saturday things between us had been progressing so nicely, slowly and at the pace I was choosing. So why did I freak out like that?

When the bell rang, it took me a minute of seeing everyone pack up for lunch to realize it was time to leave class. I shuffled up all my papers on my desk, throwing them in my bag. I stood up from my chair to be faced with someone blocking the isle, waiting for me.

"Please move." I was shocked at the pain dripping from my voice.

Having to comply, he moved out of the way and I passed him without making a backwards glance, walking out of the room. I walked as fast as I could without running, but I could still feel him close behind me. Deciding the world would probably implode if I didn't relax soon, I stuck my head inside of my locker and tried to shut out everything going on behind me. I could feel him behind me, his heat radiating onto my back. I took a steadying breath, closing my eyes while still keeping my head shoved in the depths of my locker. When I felt his hot hand touch my shoulder I thought I would loose it.

"Will you just give me some God damn space to breath?" I yelled loudly. I didn't dare turn around and look at him, knowing I was out of line already. As much as I wish it weren't true, I know that one look in his eyes and I would have to apologize. I waited until I could feel the tug in my chest start to pull, telling me he was no longer at my side. An instant ache spread through my heart, knowing it was my fault he felt this way, knowing it was my fault _I_ felt this way.

I grabbed my lunch, slamming my locker shut in a huff. A picture slid out of the bottom of the door, probably having fallen from the magnet in my hasty bang. Just as I was about to toss it back inside without another look, I noticed the exact picture that had fallen. It was a picture from Avery's 11th birthday party. There was everyone that could possibly be related and then some in this picture. We were down by the beach, all sitting on the stairs that led down to our spot. It was overcast that day, too cold for swimming but we still spent the entire day at the beach as per Avery's wishes.

I remember Aunty Alice insisting we take a group photo, ushering us all to the same spot. She began by setting us up on the stairs with the Elders on the top steps. The next row was all of the Dads, moms, then sons, and finally daughters. It's probably the only picture with us all in it. It was beautiful, the way the few elders left had their hands on the dad's shoulders, their pride easily seen through their eyes. My dad had his arms wrapped around my mom's shoulders and she was leaning back against his chests, the same way all of my aunts and uncles were doing. The moms were holding tight to each other, arms linked and smiles plastered across their faces, clearly laughing at a joke I don't quiet remember.

The funny thing is that us kids were doing the same thing as our parents, just in the rows below. All of the boys sitting in the row above us girls, reaching down to wrap their arms around each of us.

My heart skipped a beat in my chest as I look closer at the photo. First, I noticed Ryan. His arms were wrapped tightly around Avery's shoulders and she was looking up at him, a huge smile spread across her face. He was looking down to her, a smoldering look in his eyes. I couldn't look away from them. I _knew_ that look. He had used it on me so many times before I would recognize it anywhere. After a moment, it struck me instantly of the rest of everyone's seating. Sean was holding baby Lily, still a young toddler, in his lap. She was giggling no doubt as his fingers that were tickling her side.

As I looked down the line, Veronica was sitting with Charlie and Michael with Shea. Each imprint in the arms of their wolves, looking right at me from the picture. All the way at the end were PJ and I and I nearly gasped at the sight. He was sitting so contently behind me, a relaxed smile playing across his lips, arms draped casually across my shoulders. What surprised me most was my face; it was calm, happy even. We look so normal together, down at the end of the stairs, sitting in such an intimate position. My arms resting lightly atop of his.

How had I never noticed this before? All of us sitting with other's that normally we wouldn't have sat with, just because that was how Alice wanted the picture done. Obviously we would never fight her on it, but what was interesting is how happy we all look.

In an instant it came to me so clearly, Alice knew. She knew all of this time, and never said a damn thing to us about it. She knew Ryan was her niece's imprint and she never stopped me from seeing him. Years went by! Years and years and she never said anything! I was shaking, my hands clutching the picture firmly, my breath coming out ragged now.

The picture had me so entranced and brought out so much emotion, that I didn't know I was crying until I felt a teardrop hit my neck. Not taking another second in this place, I push my way out of the doors leading to the parking lot.

I walk as quickly as I can to the road, not looking back, but keeping my head up, confident even. No one will stop me and if they do I'll run. I clear the school lines and relief instantly washes over me. I feel the cool breeze enter my lungs and I inhale a large breath. I keep my eyes focused ahead of me, knowing where I need to be. The salty air begins to fill the air and I can hear the waves crashing in the distance making subtle noises.

I climb down the same stairs that I had just been looking at in the picture and once I'm at the bottom, I look up at the sight before me. These stairs I had climb countless times, going to and from the beach for parties, beach days, bonfires; you name it and we were here. My lip quivers and I don't stop the tears from coming down now. I sit down on the steps, letting my head fall to my hands. Deep hiccups leave my mouth and heavy sobs take over. Thick, wet tears fall down my face as my whole body shakes on the step.

I let all of my emotions out, not holding back the pain I've been feeling, keeping it hidden for just me to see. I felt like I had been taking two steps forward and five steps backwards and had no idea how to explain this to everyone.

Things with PJ had gone surprisingly well right off the bat; he was nice and respectful of my feelings, always going out of the way to do subtle but kind gestures. And I wanted to kiss him that day! I did, I swear. Butterflies filled my stomach just thinking of our moment of passion on the beach. The way his hands held me close and mouth was everywhere all at once.

I don't know why I freaked out so suddenly. I thought I was moving on from Ryan, seeing how he was with Avery helped, but it is like I have to erase all my memories of Ryan to make room for PJ and I'm just not ready to do that. He was such a big part of my life; I just wasn't ready to move on from it yet. But how was I supposed to explain any of this to him? He had been so good to me all week, I knew he had thought this would happen earlier in the week and when it didn't he must have assumed we were in the clear.

Now, he must hate me. I caused such a scene and I know for a fact my father nearly killed PJ after he made him show him what happened. I was embarrassed at how I acted, but there was no taking it back now. And then all day today he had been following me around like a damn puppy and I just lost it, it was too much. I could see his pain, I could feel it too.

Just as I felt my tears finally begin to subside, I felt the familiar pull in my chest and shot my head up, looking frantically around the beach knowing he was close. I scanned my way around the length of the beach to no avail. He must be a wolf. A chill ran the length of my spin knowing he was watching me. My annoyance was wrapped with comfort and I had a hard time feeling upset with him being here, as much as I knew I should.

"I'm fine PJ, you don't need to keep checking in on me," I said with a bit more venom then I intended.

He was there, right behind me now, not as a wolf but in all his bare chested glory. I quickly averted my eyes, looking back to the ground, partially to hide my puffy face and partially to look anywhere but at his delectable chest.

"You don't look ok," he said, concern clearly there.

"I'm fine PJ, fucking dandy really!"

"When you didn't show up at lunch or 6th period people we freaking out. I was freaking out. My dearest apologizes for caring about your well-being," PJ said, sarcasm dripping from his every word.

My mouth gaped open in front of me, unable to look up at him now. Something was bubbling within me and I couldn't stop it from coming out.

"What's your problem then?" looking directly back at him now.

"Just forget it. I'm glad you're ok. You should call your brother before the whole Res is looking for you."

He walked past me down the stairs, shoving his hands into his pockets as he went. His head was slouched down, facing the sand I was instantly overwhelmed with sadness. Every ounce of anger had dripped away as new tears brimmed my waterline and I took a long breath to steady myself.

I jumped up to chase after him, not really knowing what to say once I reached him, but couldn't stay at my spot on the stairs any longer. He had to have heard me behind him because he didn't quicken his pace or slow down either. We fell into a steady walk, neither of us making a move to say anything. I looked up to his face and saw a look I hadn't seen before. His forehead was creased and eyebrows furrowed together. However, PJ didn't look down at me or even acknowledge my presences the entire time. I don't really even know why I was following him in the first place. I mean, he had been doing it to me all week and I was so annoyed with him, and now I'm doing the same to him.

Realizing what I was doing, I stopped walking along with him. What am I doing for God's sake? I let out a long sigh and suddenly PJ turned around. He stared at me for a few seconds before taking only about 3 steps to be right in front of me. I looked up to meet his eyes and was shocked to see the pain in his. It hurt me to see him like this, and I don't even know what's wrong.

My body acted on instinct, I was moving without my brain telling me to. My arms barely made it all the way around his body, but I was hugging him now, nonetheless. I stood with my arms wrapped around him for what seemed like an eternity. It was a relief to feel him wrap his arms around me and before I could stop my self, I was crying. Thick, heavy tears were falling from my eyes once again. PJ started rubbing soothing circles on my back and the tears only continued, soaking through his shirt.

After a minute of me crying, PJ pulled back, but I clung on to him, not knowing what else I could do. Still, he managed to pull me away to look me in the face. He had worry written all over him and couldn't help but feel awful for what I must be doing to him.

"What's wrong?" I managed to say in between my hiccups from crying. He reached up and cupped my face, then softly with his thumb, wiped away the tears on my cheek.

"I was about to ask you the same thing," he said and gave off a little smile.

"I'm a mess. I feel like such an idiot." The last part I added softly to myself.

"Your not an idiot," he said. Of course he heard me. PJ was still holding my arms and I could feel the warmth from his body.

"What's wrong?" I asked him again, my eyes showing my persistence. This time I looked him directly in the eyes, not letting him look away. He stared back at me, intently searching my eyes for some sort of answer. He sat down, right into the damp sand, by my feet. He looked to the spot next to him and I quickly sat down, just far enough away that I couldn't feel his warmth on me. A shiver ran through me and very quickly he reached over and pulled me closer to him. Not too close to feel uncomfortable, but close enough to feel his heat. We sat this way for a moment, letting the ocean waves keep our silence bearable.

After a minute of silence he finally spoke, but I didn't really get what it meant. "It's hard for me."

I pondered on it before I said anything, wanting to give him time to further his explanation. When he didn't say anything, I asked him what he meant.

"This Kayley, it hurts me too," he said, looking down at me. I let my mouth gape open at his harsh reality. I could have handled him stopping there but I wasn't so lucky.

"You, ignoring me, not being able to see you or talk to you. It's been like two days for crying out loud and I'm broken. I feel fucking broken and I don't know how to be there for you when I feel like this. I'm failing at this already and it's only been a week. I'm supposed to be strong for you not taking advantage of you. You wanted time and I betrayed your trust. I am so sorry for that night at the party; I shouldn't hav-"

"Stop! PJ this isn't your fault, I swear to you. I've been acting like a little bitch ever since this whole thing started and I don't know why, but I'm just so confused." I could feel the tears start up again but was trying my hardest to not let them spill over.

"This isn't your fault Kayley," he said stubbornly.

"It isn't yours either, Paul." I said. He smirked.

"Only you."

"Only me what?" I asked.

"Can call me Paul and have me not get upset. Not even my mom can do that." The last part he said softer then the first, almost as if he didn't want me to hear it. I smiled up at him relishing in our sudden truce.

"I'm sorry PJ" and before he could protest I continues. "I mean it, I know how hard all of this is for you and I know that you can't help it. I am the one that should be stronger. I should be able to suck it up and just move on but I can't and I don't know why. And PJ I swear this has nothing to do with the party. Maybe I did at the time but it's just my emotions catching up to me at inopportune times. It's you that's helping me get over all this, and I really don't know why it's you I've been blaming. I am so sorry." I said. I looked down into my hands, knowing there was no way I'd be able to keep the tears from flowing now.

A warm hand reached under my chin and tilted my head upwards. Reluctantly, I looked up into his eyes and but was surprised to see them much more relaxed.

"Apology accepted." He said simply. I looked at him with a doubtful face waiting for him to continue. When he didn't, I nearly threw myself at him, attacking him in a hug.

"You're too good for me," I said blatantly, and he laughed loudly in my ear.

"Yeah well, lucky you." He said smirking.

The look on his face told everything. In this moment you could tell he looked so content and relaxed and just complete. Lucky for him, I wasn't. There was one thing that I know could make this moment better. I moved my hands to be cupping his face and ran my thumbs across his cheeks. Realization quickly flashed across his face and he put one of his hands atop of mine.

"Kayls-," he started to protest. Instead of saying anything, I leaned my face closer to his, leaving just enough space for him to close the gap between our lips. Our lips were barely an inch apart and after seconds of waiting and him not moving any closer, I closed the gap between us. He was hesitant, not moving an inch from where he was in the sand next to me. I pressed closer to him, holding his face closer to me. I was about to pull back when he still hadn't responded after several seconds of my lips on his.

My confusion was gone when I felt his thumb begin to caress my cheek, running from my eye to jaw. Our soft kiss became deeper when I felt PJ's tongue brim my lower lip. This was the most sensational feeling I've ever experienced. He lifted me once again to be placed on his lap and I happily wrapped myself around him. I lifted my hands and twisted my fingers through his hair, clinging to him with everything I had. He had his arms securely wrapped around my waist.

PJ pulled back, leaving one chaste kiss on my forehead before leaning in to whisper in my ear, "I think we better get going,"

I groaned, reluctant to let go, but pulled back nonetheless. He smiled down at me and kissed me once more before leaning back and jumping up. He reached down to help me up, and I brushed the sand off my butt that was sticking.

We started walking back in the direction of my car at the school, not saying anything, just walking together. It was nice to feel his hand slip in with mine, and better to feel him give my hand a squeeze. The 10 minute walk to my car was relaxing and I realized then that every second I spent with him, the better I felt. Once we reached my car, I wanted to groan.

"I can give you a ride if you want. It's on the way home." I said, hoping he'd take the offer and prolong our time together.

"Nah, its ok. I'll just go the way I came," he said giving me that smirk again. Obviously he ran here, why I didn't think of that. I turned around and opened my door before I let the sadness show on my face. I slid into the driver seat and offered him one more time a ride home.

"I have to get to patrolling but I'll run you home before I go. Can I still pick you up tomorrow?" he said, a bit of concern in his voice. I shook my head yes and gave him a small smile. He leaned down to kiss me once more on the forehead before shutting my door. He patted the car and turned, walking out into the forest.

"PJ, wait! I have something for you!" I rustled in my bag and pulled out a piece offering. Something I knew would give him hope, just as it did to me this afternoon. I handed him the picture from Avery's birthday party and watched him intently as he looked it over.

"Keep it," I say. He still hasn't looked up, shock clearly showing on his face now. "Pretty crazy huh?"

"I remember this day actually. I can't believe it…"

"Well, it's yours to keep," I say.

"Are you sure?"

"I guess I'm more loaning it out to you. It's our picture really." The words came out in a way I wasn't sure I intended them too, and I'm sure PJ saw the blush come across my face.

"Thank you for this," he said, putting the photo into his back pocket.

Without another word, he was walking away towards the forest.


	11. Chapter 11

Sorry for the wait! Being a teacher sucks the life out of me. This is kind of a filler chapter but next chapter will get to the good stuff. Thank you to everyone who has been following and reviewing! It means a lot!

SM owns all

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PJ POV

I stripped down as quickly as possible, wanting to make sure I was ready to follow Kayley's car home as promised. I could feel her eyes on me as I walked into the woods, waiting until I was out of sight before turning the car on.

As soon as I was out of sight, I flipped out. Literally jumped and danced on the spot like a nine year old friggen boy.

I can't even think back to how bad things were this weekend. I thought I lost her, really, truly lost her. After I dropped her off on Friday, I fell apart. I couldn't help the phase that took over as soon as I hit the woods behind her house. I couldn't even think straight and if it hadn't been for telling Sean that I was bringing his sister home before we left the party I'm sure her parents would have LITERALLY killed me for leaving her so upset.

I can still feel the way her soft tears soaked the shirt on my back as I carried her home. She was so lifeless, defeated, compared to the walk to Avery's, it was like night and day. I thought I had royally fucked things up with us. Not thought, I knew I did and I couldn't figure out what to do.

So instead, I spent all of Saturday and Sunday as a wolf, I probably couldn't change back even if I wanted to. I ran and ran and ran the loop of our trail, memorizing every path and scent there was to smell. I slept in the woods; a little ways out from behind her house just make sure she was there. If it weren't for Sam alpha commanding me to go home and get ready for school the next day, I probably wouldn't have been able to change back.

Just as I walked through my back door, still covered in dirt from head to toe from my days of patrolling, my dad sat me down, saying he wanted to talk about imprinting. I groaned but he told me to shut it. It wasn't the best conversation but it would be better then having it with my mother so I just sat, shut up and listened.

It was nothing that I didn't know already, but what he did say changed something with me. Basically he said that Kayley would come around eventually and it was my job to be there for when she was ready, not be running around like a wolf and ignoring her. Although I was sure he was wrong and she would never forgive me, my only real reason to be here on this earth is to try.

So, when this morning came around, I did just that. I followed our same routine we had established the week before, just without the talking. I met her in-between classes and at her locker, I even tried to make small talk a few times. During class I knew things were bad when I slipped her the answer to a question and she literally threw the paper on the floor. I realize now that was probably where things went wrong and made her run away from school but I didn't know what else to do! I was dying seeing her this upset. My chest hurt and head was about to explode.

I just knew if she looked at me, really looked at me like I look at her, we would be able to fix things. And I think she knew that too which is why she actually shoved her head in a locker to avoid looking at me.

When all was said and done after our fiasco at the beach, I just couldn't believe she had forgiven me. I was the one to betray her trust and move things along too quickly. I should have known she was faking it a bit and would still feel hurt over her break-up with PJ, but of course I hadn't.

I pushed my thoughts aside, letting my mind clear so I could phase. As soon as I did, I could tell there were more then a few of us in wolf form, and kicked myself knowing everyone was probably still out looking for Kayley. A sense of relief washed over me and it took a few seconds to realize it wasn't my own, by instead Uncle Jared's being felt through me.

 _Shit, I'm sorry I should have come back sooner I just wanted to make sure she made it to her car ok,_ I thought. Silence rung thought the air. There was no response, so instead I looked to see who else's thoughts were still in my head.

Jared, Sean, my father, Sam, and Michael were all phased. Without really asking, I showed bits and pieces of my encounter with Kayley down on the beach. I started with finding her crying on the steps to then her following me down the beach. I tried my best not to let slip the thoughts of her kissing me and me kissing her back, but I could also see a bit of uncomfortable shaking from Sean so I'm not sure if I did or not. I made sure to show her smiling face at the end and her asking more than once if I wanted a ride.

 _I'm glad she's safe. Michael, let's get back and give these guys some space,_ Sam said shortly. I wanted to flinch at his words, clearly a bit unhappy with me for not letting them know sooner that she was safe but I tried to brush it off. I watched through their eye's as they got closer and closer to their home and eventually fading out of my head. I was just reaching the backyard of Kayley's house now and could see Sean and Jared watching her pull in the driveway from across the woods.

 _Sean, why don't you go check on her and I'll be back in a few minutes, all right?_ Jared said. His voice was stern and it didn't slip past me that I was now alone with just my father and Kayley's father. This would be good.

My father was a ways out, in a small clearing right in the center of the woods where we usually met for regrouping purposes. As soon as I saw Sean meet Kayley at her car, I trotted off towards the clearing, knowing full well that Jared was on my heel. We were all silent and I could feel my nerves about to get the best of me.

I tried to think of something else and not continuously replay my afternoon but it was tough.

 _Why don't we phase back to talk for a minute,_ it wasn't a question from my dad. I phased back quickly behind the tree, thankful that I could have a minute in my own thoughts before facing the two of them together. I tugged on my shorts and brushed at some of the dirt on my legs, procrastinating the moment a bit longer.

As I made my way out from behind the bushes, I was surprised to see mine and Kayley's father shoving each other, horsing around really, and laughing.

"Took you long enough," my dad said. I only shrugged, kicking at rocks on my way towards the two of them. "We wanted to talk to you."

I looked between the two of them, knowing there was no point in speaking right now.

"Break my daughters heart and I'll break your neck. That's all I've got," Jared said. Oh Jesus. Not really what I was expecting him to say. My mouth hung open slightly, not really knowing what to say at his blunt statement.

"Oh, uhh, yes of course I wouldn't dream of it. I promise," I said, my nervous words were shaky and I hope he didn't pick up on it.

"I think what he's trying to say is that we know it's been a bit of a rocky start between you two and we just want you to know that we're here for you, if you need anything," my dad said.

Jared scoffed at that, snickering before answering.

" _I think_ what _your dad_ is trying to say is break my daughters heart and I'll break your neck."

Shoving my hands back into my shorts pockets, I awkwardly shuffled side to side.

"I'm not going to mess it up this time. Honestly, it killed me seeing her that upset, I can't let it happen again," I said earnestly. I looked between the two of them and noticed they were both smirking. What the hell? "What are you laughing at, I'm being serious!"

"I know you are, it just doesn't change the fact that the woman around here have a tendency of dragging hearts through the ground before committing to anything so don't get your hopes up it will work out so great the next time," my dad said. I wanted to protest but Jared spoke up to quickly.

"Yeah and you know my daughter. She flips sides easier then a coin. Believe me, I've lived through the mood swing changes. She's a tough one if I've ever seen it."

"Do you even remember Kim in high school?" my dad said, speaking to Jared now. "One minute I was like this chick is great and loves us and the next she was like completely MIA for a week and would leave you mental. Then she'd come back pretending everything was fine," he said sarcastically. "You future mother-in-law was a bit crazy back in the day and I have a funny feeling her daughter is the same way.

My heart froze.

Did he just say what I thought he said?

My breath hitched and I had to drop my head down so they couldn't see the expression on my face. It was a mixture of a bright red blush of embarrassment mixed with full on panic and a stupid ass smile.

He just called Kayley's mother, my future mother-in-law. He basically said Kayley was going to be my wife one day. _My wife._

As the wheels began turning in my head, I could feel my body begin to shake. Not out of anger but purely out of increased sense of emotion. I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. I could hear my dad saying something in the background but I couldn't hear him.

Shakes were ripping down my spine and my legs were shaking to the point that I fell to the ground on my knees. Instantly, my back was arched and that was it.

My clothes ripped from my body, shredding into tiny pieces of fabric as I phased into a wolf. My mind was racing, throwing out random thoughts from what had just happened. I couldn't tell who was phased but I could tell they were listening intently to my thoughts, making sure I wasn't in danger.

I continued with my deep breaths, working on focusing my eyes forward. As I did, I noticed my father and Jared standing off in the distance. They had climbed up onto a tall rock, probably to get out of my direct line of view.

I let out a whine and lowered my head to the ground, letting them know I wasn't going to attack them and had come to again.

"I'm sorry PJ, I shouldn't have said that, it just kind of came out," my dad said. It was apologetic but I could also sense a bit of sarcasm in there.

I could now tell that Michael was back on patrol and still listening in to our conversation. The only exception was that he was thinking of my sister Shea instead of Kayley. I shot up, letting out a snarl when a vision of her in a wedding dress flashed across my eyes.

 _She's a fucking child, Michael! You shouldn't be thinking of her like that!_ I couldn't help but scream at him. His thoughts instantly changed, trying to cover up his thoughts by immediately thinking of the old legends, a tick they had taught us a while ago.

Panicked voices of my father and Jared were now in my head too and out of the corner of my eye I could see them standing on either side of me, scanning the forest.

 _What's going on?_ My dad asked. My mind was racing, replaying what he had just saw. I could tell Jared was feeling uncomfortable now, obviously not wanting to get in the middle of anything. My dad was quiet too, not really having the reaction I thought he would which only pissed me off more.

 _Alright, settle down PJ, he didn't mean to think that way. You know we can't always control what goes through our heads._ Instantly a memory of something I knew Jared wouldn't want any of us seeing shot throught his head.

 _JARED! Are you kidding me? Jesus not in front of them, my god._ My dad said, literally cackling as he did. Ugh I closed my eyes, not letting his thoughts cross my mind.

 _Michael, you mind getting us some shorts from home and bringing them back to us?_ Kayley's dad said, clearly trying to change that disgusting subject.

 _Watch your mouth, kid. That's my wife you're talking about._ Michael didn't say anything, but I could tell he was headed back in the direction of his house.

 _I haven't shredded my clothes in years; your mother is going to kill me,_ my dad said.

 _I've just learned to keep a stash of extras so she doesn't know,_ Jared said.

We ran in silence back towards the Uley residence. None of us speaking or thinking of what Jared or Michael said. It was surprisingly silent and I was thankful for that.

This afternoon had gone from pure euphoria to awkward and extreme. Just an hour ago I was being kissed by my soul mate and now here I was running a patro—

 _I thought you said you were taking things slow!_ Kayley's father screamed in my thoughts. I instantly cowered down. Shit! I forgot they were listening.

 _I am! We are! I don't know, it just kind of happened but I promise, I'm taking it slow from now on_ ," I thought.

 _No kissing,_ he dad said.

 _No kissing?_ I didn't mean to think it but I couldn't not think it.

 _You heard me PJ. No kissing my daughter until you ask her out like a normal kid. I don't want some random kid kissing my daughter, you hear me?_

He was right. I should take Kayley out on a date. She deserved that much from meat this point. The only question was would she actually want to go.

 _Of course she'll want to go. What girl doesn't want to go on a date?_ My dad thought.

 _And when you do I want you to come to the front door so I can scare the living shit out of you before you leave._ Funnily enough, there was no sarcasm in his voice now.

As we approached the clearing behind the Uley's house, I could see Michael standing there, a pile of clothes in his hand. I watched as my father walked up to him, turning so his backside was facing him. Michael walked over, using a rope to tie the clothes to his back leg. He did the same to my father then in the end to me. As he tied the clothes, he said, "Sorry about what I said, I couldn't help it, honestly."

I only let out a little whine to him. I didn't need the son of our alpha being upset with me and I also didn't really agree with him, but whatever.

 _All right kid, we're going to head home but you have patrol until 11. I'll make sure to leave you some dinner in the fridge,_ my father thought. He was already taking off towards the house and I could tell Jared was doing the same.

 _Don't drive yourself crazy over any of this, all right. It'll all work out, it always has,_ Kayley's father said, thinking back to his own wife. I was surprised at how nice he was being about the whole thing but certainly wasn't going to think that out loud.

I could feel the two of them phase out eventually and let my paws take over the familiar trail I had become accustomed to.

First things first I ran past Kayley's house, letting my mind ease when I could feel the tug in my chest, knowing she was inside and ok. As I passed by, I let my mind openly wander to today's events. How upset Kayley was this morning to how we had left things off this afternoon. It seemed like years ago.

My dad and Jared were right. Kayley deserved a real start to our relationship, a slow one but a beginning for sure.

I had the next 6 hours to figure out a plan. I knew I had to ask her out on a date, like a real dinner date or something like that but what the hell would she want to do?

To be honest, I didn't know a lot about Kayley. I mean, I knew her through Ryan's memories that he let slip here and there or from what the others thought about her but I didn't have a lot to go off of from personal experience. I mean our last week at school we spent talking, but about nothing really important, just casual small talk.

What killed me was I wanted to know everything about her. Her favorite food, her favorite things to do, just everything about her I _needed_ to know.

This would be my chance. We'd date, if she wanted to of course, like a normal couple. Start in the beginning like friends and see where things went.

I wasn't going to fuck things up this time, I couldn't.

I had 6 hours to figure out what sort of date she'd want to go on and if that wasn't enough time I'd have 4 more days. The only thing I was certain of was I was going to ask her out.

Dinner on Friday. It was a plan.

It was a date.

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Next chapter is much longer and already written; I just have to go back in proof read so I promise by either tomorrow or the next day :)


	12. Chapter 12

So sorry for the delay! I've been like a maniac reading other fanfics and have totally abandoned this, but I'm back! I promise AND with a super long chapter

SM Owns all

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"But KayKay, momma said we could swim and build sandcastles all day! She promised," little Lily whined, crossing her arms across her chest and jetting her foot out to the side in a very non-four-year-old way.

It was Thursday night and I had just finished drying the last of our dishes from the dinner we made, putting them on the drying rack in the corner of the counter. Lily was supposed to be helping me fold some laundry, but instead she had abandoned her basket and was standing by my feet, a pout prominently on her face.

"It's pouring out! I promise you we can go this weekend or something instead. Why don't you pick a movie, anything you want that's free On Demand we can watch, you're choice," I tried to sound as convincing as possible, but this little girl was giving me a run for my money. "I'll even make some popcorn or something!" I said, a last attempt to please her.

"We can't go this weekend! Sean's coming over to play and you're hanging out with boyfriend!" she yelled with a huff, stomping her foot once and turning on her heel. I pushed her last thought to the side as she stomped her way into the living room and fell to the couch. I threw the dishtowel I was using onto the counter and followed behind her, plopping myself down next to her.

"I'm sure Sean would love to take you to the beach, Lily. He's like, the best sandcastle builder I've ever seen. He always used to win when we'd have competitions. Maybe he'll show you some of his building tricks?" I was trying to butter her up. I knew being on Lily's bad side was just not something you ever wanted. She was precocious and would never forget it. That and my brother would have my head upsetting his imprint.

"He won't cause he always beats me in everything! And I want to go to the beach with you!" Her bottom lip started trembling now and I could see the genuine disappointment in her eyes now. I scooted closer to her, reaching my arms out as I did. She happily crawled into my lap and I wrapped my arms around her waist.

"I know you do and I want to come with you too. And I promise we will go, just not today. It's raining and gross and no princess should play outside in the rain," I said while gently stroking her long wavy hair. She loved when I called her a princess, and it really was the most fitting nickname she could have.

"Fine, but I want to watch Jurassic Park," she said.

I laughed out loud, "You want to watch what?!"

"Sean let's me watch it!"

"You don't think it's too scary?"

"There's no such thing as dinosaurs KayKay." I sighed.

"You my dear are a very smart little girl." I put her on her feet from my lap and made my way towards the kitchen, calling over my shoulder as I did, "You pop in the movie and I'll make some popcorn. Want anything to drink?"

"Apple juice please!" she shouted back.

I threw in a bag of popcorn and poured us a couple of drinks. When I came back into the living room, Lily had nested herself in the blankets on the couch, leaving a small spot in the corner for me to sit in. I plopped the popcorn down on her lap and placed her apple juice on the table in front of us.

Lily and I sat watching the movie well into the evening. I was watching her until about 8 o'clock tonight when Claire and Uncle Quil would be home. They went to some clinic in Port Angeles for the day and asked if I would pick her up from school and watch her. Normally they would have asked Sean but I guess she had been constantly asking to hangout with me and I was personally not trying to be on Lily's bad side, so here I was.

This little girl really was something else. I looked down; her hair was sprawled across her shoulders and noticed her eyes had fluttered shut. I sighed contently knowing my work here was done and I just had to get her to bed without waking her up. Slowly, oh so slowly, I pulled the blanket off our laps and threw it to the side. She nestled closer into my side and I took the opportunity to wrap my arms underneath her legs and behind her back.

I awkwardly waited another minute in this position, waiting until she was comfortable and I was sure she wouldn't wake up before making another move. I gently stood from the couch, wincing when she stretched but breathed a sigh of relief when she didn't stir again.

Just as I walked towards the stairs, the front doorbell rang. I couldn't help but jump at the sudden sound and cursed under my breath. Who the hell could this be?

As quietly and softly as possible, I walked to the front door and peeped through the window at the top. Dropping Lily was out of the question but boy was I close when I saw who was standing there.

On the other side of the door, huddled underneath the awning was PJ.

On top of it all he was holding a bouquet of flowers!

The rain was still pouring down behind him and I saw him about to reach for the bell again so I quickly grabbed at the handle.

I fumbled with it loosely, trying not to wake Lily but letting him know I was trying to open it. Once I got the handle, I used my arm to push open the door.

"Hi?" I asked in more of a question then I intended in a whispered voice. My heart was racing a million miles a minute now.

"Need some help?" he whispered, now pushing past me to put the flowers down on the floor and reached his hands out to grab Lily.

I took a quick step back, knowing that much movement would only wake her.

"I'm fine, let me put her upstairs quick, I'll be right back."

Why was he here?

Why did he have flowers?

Why was I blushing like an idiot?!

As I climbed the stairs, I made a point to skip over the one that creaked towards the top. I knew I was pushing my luck at this point and it was only a matter of time before she was up again.

Some how or another I pulled back her blankets and laid her down inside the covers. I pulled them right up to her chin, tucking her stuffed animals around her like I know she loves, before slowly walking out of her room. I waited a minute with the door closed, listening intently to hear if she made any noises.

When she didn't, I breathed a major sigh of relief. I flattened my clothes out with the palms of my hand, smoothing out the imaginary wrinkles and suddenly realizing I was in sweatpants and a t-shirt. I inwardly groaned, knowing I probably looked horrible and tried not to think about why I even cared about what I looked like in front of him.

With another deep breath I turned to head back down the stairs. I crept quietly down and noticed PJ wasn't standing at the bottom where I left him. I quickly scanned the living room and nope, he wasn't there either.

"PJ?" I whispered yelled, hoping he was still here somewhere and hadn't left already.

To my left, I saw him emerge from the kitchen doorway. His hair was damp from the rain, as were the shoulders of his t-shirt. In his hand, he was holding a bouquet of flowers. Now that I had a moment to look at them, I noticed they were similar to the ones he gave me that first day; a beautiful assortment of wildflowers wrapped with rope twine.

We both took a few steps closer to each other, stopping when we were just a few feet apart from each other. Surprisingly, I could still feel his body heat radiating off of him from this distance and I instantly felt tingles shoot through my body.

"These are for you," he said, a sheepish grin resting on his face. I couldn't help but smile back at him.

"Their so pretty, thank you," I took them and held them up to my nose as you do, taking a big whiff of the scent. "What are they for?"

"Well, I actually was wondering if you wanted to go out to dinner tomorrow night?" he said. He was shuffling from foot to foot, pushing his fists deeper into his pockets. He was looking down at me from under his long eyelashes and I could see a slight crimson shadow resting on his cheeks.

"Oh! Uh-I'm a…tomorrow-oh…uh, yeah, sure," I was stuttering now with little confidence in my voice. PJ could tell because he quickly countered back.

"Are you sure? We don't have to if you don't want, I just thought maybe if we started in the beginning like normal people and went on a first date and stuff it might work out better then-" I cut him off before he could keep rambling.

"No! I'd love to," I said with a small smile, looking down at the ground nervously. "You just surprised me by asking is all. I'd like to go, really."

"Oh, great then! I was thinking we could go around 7ish? I'll pick you up?"

"Yeah, that works, where are you thinking?"

"It's a surprise, Kayley."

The way he said my name made my stomach flip.

"Well, like, fancy…casual…give me something," I said, a bit of sarcasm in my voice.

"You'll be beautiful in whatever you wear," he said. I new a blush crept onto my face and I bit at my lower lip to keep from smiling.

"Come on, give me a little hint," I said.

"You are so stubborn Ms. Cameron." As he said this, he took another step closer to me. My breath hitched suddenly and my eyes immediately looked up to meet his. "It's on the water and that's all you get. Please don't ruin the surprise by looking up every restaurant in the area that's on the water either."

I laughed at that. He knew me way too well.

"I wouldn't dare," I said and winked.

I fucking winked.

PJ was close now, too close to look anywhere but up and into his eyes. I knew this look. It was deep and longing and the same look that sent me overboard.

The silence between us was banging in my ears and my head was spinning in his close proximity.

PJ's hand reached up to my face and hovered near my cheek without touching it. My eyes fluttered closed and my face was warmed by his touch. His rough calloused hand cupped around my jaw and cheek, rubbing his thumb under my eye.

His warm breath was on my face and I could tell he was leaning down towards me. We stayed that way for a moment and I knew he wouldn't be the one to close the final distance; he would leave that to me.

I pressed my face into his hand, turning it to the side and upward towards his breath. Just as I knew our lips would finally be touching, cold air blew between my face and I knew he was no longer as close. I opened my eyes and instantly knew what was going on.

Uncle Quil's truck headlights were shinning in through the window. I instinctively took a step back, knowing it would be a thing if they came in and saw us this close. PJ's hand dropped from my face and I reluctantly groaned at the loss of contact.

I walked into the kitchen where my jacket and backpack were sitting. I knew Quil would want to give me a ride home since it was raining. As if he knew my thoughts, PJ offered to give me a ride home since he would be leaving anyway.

Claire came in the door, hood covering her head from the pouring rain. She quickly scanned the room while taking off her coat. He eyes went wide when she saw PJ but quickly replaced her shock for a smile.

"Where's Lily?" she said, still looking around the room, thinking she would pop out from under the blankets on the couch or something.

"I just brought her up to bed," I whispered yelled to her.

"You're kidding?" A huge smile crossed her face.

"Yeah, she fell asleep during the movie and I just carried her up. She's pretty upset we couldn't go to the beach so I told her maybe this weekend if the weather was nice."

"Yeah, she's been talking about that all week since I said you were coming over but don't worry about it," Claire said with a smile.

"I told Kayley I could give her a ride home if that's easier for you guys," PJ spoke up. I almost forgot he was there for a second.

"Oh, that would be great, thanks PJ," Claire said. She walked towards the door and waved her hand towards her husband to tell him to come inside. I slid on my jacket and backpack, following PJ towards the door.

Quil came running up the stairs and wasn't all that surprised to see PJ here.

"Hey guys, where's the little monster?" he said, slightly joking and also looking around to see if she was going to pop out from somewhere.

"Babe, they put her to bed. She's sleeping! Like actually asleep right now, can you believe it?" Claire said.

Without saying another word, Quil walked over and pulled me into a hug. I let out a laugh at the two of them. They certainly had their hands full with this girl and I knew it was a full time job to keep her happy.

"Alright, well we better get going. I told Claire I was around on Saturday to hangout with Lily; she was upset when we didn't go to the beach today so maybe for a bit before the bonfire we could hangout," I said.

"That would be great, thanks Kayley. I'm sure Claire will be busy setting some stuff up so maybe around 4 or so you could meet us at the beach?" Quil said.

"Sounds great, I'll see you guys then!" I said.

PJ and I left the house then and I was thankful they didn't say a word about why he was there and I was leaving with flowers. PJ put his hand on my lower back, guiding me towards his truck that was parked at the far end of the driveway. The rain had let up a bit and it was now just lightly drizzling.

He walked me to my side of the truck, opening the door for me so I could climb inside. I gave him a smile, thinking to myself how cute he really was for being such a gentleman, something I was lucky to know first hand having grown up around a bunch of wolves.

The drive back to my house was quiet, neither of us feeling the need to fill the space with conversation. Timidly, I reached over and grabbed his hand, lacing our fingers together as I did. He looked over to me with a smile and gave my hand a squeeze before pulling his hand back and putting it on the steering wheel. I couldn't help the disappointment that washed over me and quickly folded my hands together and looked out the window.

It was dark now and I could feel how tired I was sitting here in his truck. I felt the familiar rumble of the truck as we drove over the rough patch of road leading up to my house.

Turning my head to the side, I stared at the side of PJ's head. His eyes were focused on the road ahead, one hand loosely holding the steering wheel while the other tapped at the window. I couldn't help but notice the way his muscles tensed through his shirt and I caught myself staring a bit too much. Butterflies immediately filled my stomach and I took a steady breath before he noticed anything.

It was crazy the effects he had on me. Just a look, or a touch and my heart was racing. It was such a different sense of euphoria that I felt in comparison to my memories of Ryan. Ryan made me feel wanted and cared for, sexy at times, maybe even wild. It was a teenage love to a T.

But with PJ, God was it different. Oh so different. With one look in his eyes I instantly knew everything was meant to be this way. It was like looking into mirror or a book or something I can't quiet put my finger on but something so perfect, for _me,_ that it was crazy. He was calming and crazy at the same time and I could literally feel when he was close to me. Even before I knew he was there I knew he was.

All too soon we were pulling into my driveway. The rain had stopped now, but the night air was cool and darkness was lingering. As PJ pulled his truck to a stop, I turned my head back to look at him. With a sigh, I rested my head on the seat, waiting for him to look at me.

I wanted this moment with him, a moment where words weren't needed but my want of my imprint was filled. He seemed to know exactly what I wanted since he turned the car off, taking the key out of the ignition and turning to face me. There was an instant spark as his eyes connected with mine.

A smile crept onto his face as a blush covered my cheeks. This boy was my imprint. He was _mine_ and I couldn't really believe that my soul mate was sitting in the car with me right now.

"Let's get you inside," his voice was soft and took me by surprise. I groaned, shaking my head in protest and not moving from my seat.

All week PJ had been walking on eggshells around me. I mean nothing was really that different compared to last week, but he was so cautious about _everything_. He stopped holding my hand between classes and stealing touches under the table. There was definitely no kissing and the lack of physical touching was driving me crazy.

As PJ came around my side of the truck, I made no move to open the door or grab my things. I knew he would open it for me anyway but I was being stubborn, not wanting my time with him to be over this fast.

"Ready to head in?" he asked.

"Is everything ok? With us, I mean…" I didn't look at him, instead kept my eyes down on the floor of the car. I wanted him to be upfront with me and I knew something was going on.

"Yeah, why what's up?" he said. I still wouldn't look at him and I couldn't believe I was really about to say what I was going to say.

"Nothing…it's nothing," I mumbled. I reached down and grabbed my bag, swinging my legs out of the car.

"Kayley, it's clearly not nothing. Tell me what's going on," PJ reached out, putting his hand under my chin and lifting so I would look at him. His eyes were soft and concerned at the same time.

"You just seem different…I don't know. I mean I know were going out tomorrow, but it just seems like your keeping your distance from me after last weekend, which I totally get, but I'm fine, really PJ."

I was playing with my hands in my lap, trying my best not to look at him but it was hard not to.

"Can I tell you something and you promise you won't say anything. Like really, really promise?" he said.

"What?" I said with a laugh.

"No like I need a pinky to promise this cause if you say anything it'll only make things worse."

I stuck out my pinky, interlocking it with PJ's.

"I promised your dad I would take you on a date before we…ah- did anything else," he said. He had dropped his hand from my chin and instead was rubbing it at the back of his neck, clearly feeling a bit awkward.

To be honest, I wasn't all that surprised or mad really. I mean we are talking about my father for Christ sakes. "When did you do that?"

"After the beach on Monday. And I would have asked you earlier in the week I just wanted to pick something perfect for our first date and I-"

I cut him off by leaning forward and firmly placing my lips to his. My eyes closed and I inhaled his scent. Neither of us made a move to deepen the kiss but I did reach up to cup his face in my hands.

After about 10 seconds of pure satisfaction, I slowly pulled back, tilting my forehead onto his and resting it here.

"My dad can keep you from kissing me but he can't stop me from doing what I want, and that's what I've wanted all week," I said under my breath knowing he could hear me. I leaned up once most, placing one final chaste kiss to his lips and pulled away, dropping my hands and grabbing my bag.

"Alright, now are you ready?" he said with a throaty laugh. I groaned again but this time I was more so laughing. I slipped out of the truck and immediately reached out to grabbed PJ's hand. This time, he happily accepted mine and didn't pull away like before.

He walked me all the way up to my front porch, stopping as I put my hand on the door handle.

"See you in the morning?" he said.

"Sure thing," I said. He leaned in, quickly pressing a kiss to my forehead.

"Goodnight Kayley," he dropped my hand, making his way to walk back down the stairs. Before I could stop myself I called out to him.

"Hey!" I dropped my bag to the ground in front of the front door and quickly jogged my way down the stairs, all the way down to his truck where he was standing. Without really stopping, I threw myself into his arms, latching my own tightly around his neck. I buried my face into his neck and waited until his arms wrapped around my waist.

"Goodnight," I whispered into his neck. I quickly placed my lips to the crook were I was nestled before dropping myself back to the ground.

I didn't even look at him before I ran myself back up the front stairs. Grabbing my bag, I quickly opened the door and rushed myself inside. Leaning back against the door, I took in a huge breath.

I can't believe I just did that! I was smiling to myself like an idiot when I heard someone clear their throat from across the room. My hand shot to my chest, as you do when your scared, and looked to see my father standing by the window, clearly having watched everything that had just happened.

"How was babysitting?" he asked. I stifled a laugh. I was caught so red handed after PJ literally had just made me promise not to say anything to anyone about what my father said.

"Fine," I squeaked out.

"Just fine?"

"Yup," I said, an emphasis on the p. he didn't say anything else and I took that as a go ahead to run up the stairs. Unfortunately, no such luck.

"Since when do you need help babysitting?" he was at the bottom of the stairs now, just below me. His arms were folded across his chest and I knew he was just teasing me.

"I don't. PJ only stopped by to ask me on a date because _you_ told him to," I said.

"Hey, I didn't tell him to do anything," he said, throwing his hands up defensively. "I just told him to take it slow Kayley. Clearly he wasn't listening though," the past part he said under his breath.

"Yeah, yeah…whatever you say."

* * *

Dad didn't say anything else that night which I was thankful for. He let me go to my room and decompress of the crazy afternoon I had.

Friday morning came and went. PJ picked me up at the same time and we dove right into our usual routine. The only difference was I now had the confidence to reach over and grab his hand and knew he wouldn't be the one to pull away.

I even surprised him by pulling him down for a quick kiss before math when the hallway had been cleared of all the other students.

When lunch came around, I was surprised when PJ asked if I wanted to sit inside at our old table. We hadn't been in there in almost 2 weeks now and I was nervous thinking about it. It wasn't that I was still avoiding everyone in the pack, I mean I made up with Avery last weekend and all. It's just that it was easier staying in my little bubble for now while I was still sorting out my feelings.

Regardless, I knew PJ was looking for some allies again and who was I to keep him from his friends. So, when lunch time came around, PJ was there waiting for me at my classroom door as always and immediately grabbed my hand. I didn't say anything on our walk to the café but I knew he could hear my heart hammering in my chest and how my breathing had picked up a bit.

Before we walked through the doors, PJ leaned down and left a chaste kiss on my forehead, which left me, immediately feeling more relaxed. Our table was already packed with the guys and girls and I noticed our two seats were still right where they would be.

"Hey guys!" Sean said as soon as we sat down. "Decided to grace us with your presence today?"

"Ha ha, very funny," I was surprised to hear PJ joking with my brother.

Avery was sitting directly across from me. It was her same spot as he always sat; the only difference was Ryan was now next to her. I looked at her to see her looking right back at me with a smile.

"Thank God you're back, I've missed having another girl to talk to," she said. I reached across the table and grabber her hand with a little squeeze.

"Missed you too, Av" was all I said. I pulled my hand back and began to open my lunch. I looked around the table and was surprised at how happy I was to see the crowd.

Sean, Avery, Lizzie, Shea, Ryan, the twins, Oliver and Ben were all here. To be honest, I don't know if there was ever a time the _whole_ group was together like this. We all had a seat if we chose to sit as a group but the guys would sit with their teammates and sometimes Lizzie would sit with her friends.

"Yeah, everyone's just kind of started sitting her together again. It's nice though, you know?" Avery said, breaking my silence. I only nodded since I was mouth deep in a sandwich.

I looked to the side to see PJ looking down at me. I knew he was still trying to gage my reaction so I gave him a leg squeeze under the table. He immediately blushed and looked away and I wanted to laugh but held it in.

"So what's going on with you? I feel like it's been forever," Avery said, right back to her perky and slightly whinny self. Before I could even answer, she was continuing, "What are you doing tonight? Oh! I know! Let's have a sleepover! I'll have mom make that dip we love! I'll text her now!" Avery quickly pulled out her phone and began texting her mother.

"Wait! Av, I'm sorry I can't tonight," I said, lowering my voice a bit. I didn't want to scream down the whole table that I was going on a date tonight, even though it was going to be impossible to say it quietly enough that all of the wolves wouldn't hear me. Every head at the table turned to look at me and my face was instantly magenta.

Avery dropped her phone to the table and looked right at me. It took her a minute before responding, but when she did, all she said was, "Oh, ok."

I knew this voice and if I didn't work quickly, things would escalate.

"I'm sorry, it was a last minute sort of thing!" I couldn't meet PJ's eyes that I knew were staring into me. "But I'll see you at the bonfire tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah, we'll be there," she said quietly, now picking at her food again.

The rest of lunch was quiet and uneventful, everyone making small talk on his or her own. Ryan, Avery, PJ, and I all sat in relative silence though, clearly unsure what to say to ease the awkward tension.

When the bell rang, signaling us that lunch was over and to get to class, I knew I had to talk to Avery before we left. As always, PJ grabbed for my hand but I quickly drew mine back, saying to him that I would catch up with him after class. He looked a bit confused but wouldn't be for long when I called out for Avery to wait up.

She slowed her walk, but didn't really stop. I jogged to catch up with her as she pushed her way through the busy hallway. As I neared her, I noticed she was looking straight ahead, not bothering to make any motion she was listening.

"I'm sorry about lunch, I just didn't want to say in front of everyone what I'm doing tonight," I said solemnly.

"Well, what are you doing?" she said, definitely a bit of bite to her words.

I almost didn't want to tell her. She was upset with me for not being able to hangout and I wanted to curse PJ for having us eat lunch inside after all.

"Well, I'm umm going on a date tonight…with PJ," I said quietly. Avery immediately stopped in her tracks, spinning around to face me.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah," I said. "Were grabbing dinner somewhere but I'm not really sure where, but uh yeah." I nervously shifted my backpack to my other shoulder, waiting for Avery to say something. When she didn't, I tried mercilessly to defend myself, salvage the conversation. "I miss you though Av, can I take a rain check on the sleepover?"

She wasn't looking at me still, but was thinking over what I said. "Yeah, sure."

My heart ached knowing she was upset with me. And I knew it wasn't that I couldn't hangout either I just wasn't quiet sure what the reason was as of yet. The bell rang for class above us and I secretly praised the lord we could end this awkward conversation.

"I'll see you tomorrow then?" I said.

"Yeah, I'll see you then," she said. Then, with a small smile she was gone.

The rest of the day went by in a blur. I tried not to dwell on my conversation with Avery from lunch but if I was being honest, it was a good distraction from my nerves about tonight. The last few hours seemed to drag by but I wasn't the only antsy one in my classes. It was Friday after all and after the big bonfire last weekend, new friend groups had formed and plans were made for this weekend.

PJ met me right after class in the hallway and I immediately knew something was wrong. Normally his face would grow a huge smile when I'd meet him, but instead his eyes met mine and he threw his arm around my shoulders, protectively placing me under his arm.

He ushered me to my locker, all the while his eyes were scanning the halls. I knew if something were really wrong, we wouldn't still be at school. He would have rushed us out as soon as the bell rang and we'd all be huddled together at Emily's.

I couldn't take the silence anymore and quickly closed my locker. "PJ, what's going on?" I asked. He leaned down to whisper in my ear.

"Just a couple of nomad's coming through but Michael and Seth got them," he said. "Their going to have a couple of extra guys running for the next few days just to make sure there aren't any others."

"Oh," was all I said. Stray vampires rarely ran through the area anymore. I think it had been almost a year since the last time and they only got as close as Forks. There was that close call a few weeks back but it turned out to be nothing and just a weird animal smell. PJ could tell his statement made me uptight and began rubbing his thumb along the ball of my shoulder.

PJ made sure I was buckled in my spot before running around to his side. "Are you sure there's nothing to worry about?"

I turned my full body to look at him, knowing it would be the only way I'd get the full truth. PJ actually let out a breathy laugh before answering. He reached over and took both of my hands from my lap and gave them a squeeze.

"I've just never had to worry about there being a vampire around you. I know the guys took care of it and everything but it's hard not to think the worst, ya know?" he said.

I knew I didn't need to say anything, nothing would settle his nerves. I knew that much from growing up around a bunch of imprinted wolves. Nonetheless, the thought of PJ being upset because he thought my safety was in danger is just about the sweetest, sexiest thing I had heard in my life. I scooted over, leaning my face towards his. I was still far enough way to be looking into his eyes but it was clear what I wanted.

PJ dropped my hands and quickly cupped both sides of my face. My heart sped up; shocked that he was actually going to kiss me.

Teasingly, he turned my face towards the windshield and placed a slobbery kiss on my cheek and firmly holding my lips away from his. I laughed out loud at him. "Please stop trying to kill me!" He dropped his head to the crook of my neck and placed a tender kiss there.

"I'm not doing anything," it was cheeky I know, but I was enjoying this new found flirtatious time with him.

"Kayley, I'm like super low on the totem pole of wolves incase you didn't know. And I just can't say no to you," that part he said while gazing his eyes down from my face. My heart was hammering and I knew I had a stupid smirk on my face.

"You can to say no to me," I said. I said it with a bit of sarcasm but it was the truth.

"I know, I just don't want to," he said. PJ slowly put the car into gear and pulled his way out of the parking lot. I hadn't realized how long we were sitting there until I realized the parking lot was partially empty.

Our drive back to my house was quick and silent. Neither of us mentioning anything and I could feel my nerves returning. When we pulled into my driveway, I said a quick goodbye to PJ, knowing I only had about 2 hours before he would be back for our date. I didn't kiss him goodbye like I wanted to, but instead placed one right on his jaw. His breath hitched when I did this and knew I'd have to keep that spot in the back of my mind of places he enjoyed being kissed.

I rushed around inside, knowing I needed to shower and change and do my hair in the little time I had. PJ decided we should leave closer to 5 since we would be going all the way to Port Angeles and would definitely hit traffic. I didn't mind, knowing we would be spending more time together, but that left a lot less time to get ready.

Mum and dad were both still out and I could hear Sean's soft snores from his bedroom. I knew he wasn't home last night and I wondered if it was because he was sleeping outside of Lily's window still or because he was patrolling.

The shower felt heavenly on my shoulders, washing away the stress from today that had been building. Between this date and my conversation with Avery, I wasn't sure exactly what would help to calm me down but this shower was certainly helping.

I hadn't really decided on an outfit because I wasn't sure where we were going. I figured it would be somewhat nice if it was on the water, but knowing my luck I would get all dressed up and have it be a food truck on the beach. It was hard to know anything because I still didn't know PJ that well.

I rushed around my room, towel drying my hair and letting it fall in loose waves down my back. I put on a bit more makeup then I would normally, some mascara to accentuate my eyes and shimmer on my cheeks to give me a glow.

After trying on about 5 different dresses, I finally settled on a black wrap dress with spaghetti straps and a low back. It showed more skin in the back then I normally was used to showing but this was a date after all and black was my color.

After a bit of spritzing of my favorite perfume and quick coat of lip-gloss, I checked the mirror one final time. I had to admit, I was shocked with how I looked. I mean, Ryan and I had gone on dates in the past, and I had dressed up for his prom last year, but for some reason this was different.

I looked, mature? Definitely older somehow. I brushed the hair back over one shoulder and a chill ran down my spine.

The clock read 4:50 p.m. and I nearly screamed with how little time I had left to get my things ready. On top of things, my parents still weren't home! I know one of my father's contingencies was to have PJ pick me up at the door so he could give him his meanest father glare and warning before we left.

I through my purse together, putting a few odds and ends in there like my lip-gloss and brush and ran back up the stairs. If dad weren't here to send me off, Sean would have to do the trick. I opened his door slowly not wanting to scare him, just to realize he was out cold. I stood in the doorway, staring at my brother for another minute before shaking him awake. He was so peaceful there; it was crazy to think of how many big changes he had gone through in the last few weeks. I thought my life had been flipped up side down for Christ sakes he's a shape shifter! He literally turns into a wolf and here I am complaining and crying all the time.

Before I could even go and wake Sean, the doorbell rang. Sean and I both jumped, him groggily looking at me in a confused way and me beginning to panic because my date was here.

"What's going on?" Sean was pulling his shirt over his head and pulling himself out of bed simultaneously.

"PJ's here for our date but mum and dad are still out. Will you come 'send me' so dad doesn't flip out that we left without him?" I said sarcastically. He didn't say anything but smirked as he passed me.

Sean flew past me and ran down the stairs, clearly up the challenge of acting as dad's tag team for the night. He threw the door open before I was even halfway down, but I could still see clearly out the front door when he did.

PJ was standing there, a bouquet of wild flowers in hand. I stopped short on the stairs, taking in his appearance before I moved any further. He had on navy khaki shorts, boat shoes, and a nice white polo. I had _never_ seen any of the pack guys were clothes like this before. His tan skin was accentuated beneath his contrasted clothes and I knew my heart skipped a beat.

PJ looked good. Not just good, but amazing. Amazingly good and my stomach was flipping just looking at him.

I could hear Sean talking to PJ somewhere off in the distance but I couldn't hear what he was saying. And by the way PJ was staring at me, it didn't look like he heard him either. His eyes were burning into me from the bottom of the stairs where he was standing. A small smile was playing on his lips and I knew mine was the same.

I cleared my throat to pull attention back to the fact that I was still on the stairs and continued my decent.

PJ pushed right past Sean and walked into the house, holding the flowers out to me. "These are for you," he said.

I did the same as Thursday, bringing the flowers to my nose and smelling their beautiful aroma.

"Their beautiful," I said sheepishly.

As a response, PJ walked right up to me, pulling me into a hug. PJ's breath was by my ear and I a shiver ran up my spine.

"Not as beautiful as you," he whispered so softly, I was sure Sean wouldn't have heard him. I smiled into his chest, knowing full well a blush was all over my face but who did I care.

"Alright, back it up buck-o. No one wants to see any of this," his faint smile though was telling me the opposite.

"Anything else, or do you think we can go?" I asked Sean.

"Nah, I think you're good to go."

Just as I thought we would be in the clear, he yelled over his shoulder that he would see everything that happened tomorrow anyway and to remember that. I rolled my eyes thinking of how stupid Sean was being but did keep the thought in my back pocket knowing he was right.

PJ and I walked to his truck, him leading the way with his hand on the small of my back. As always, he opened the door for me and closing it tightly once I was buckled in.

I wanted to ask him where we were going, but knew there was no point. Instead, I rested my head back and looked out the window, finally taking a moment to relax after the marathon of a day I had had. Unlike earlier, PJ didn't reach over to grab my hand and I kept mine fastened in my lap, intertwining my fingers tightly together. I was focusing on my breathing, trying to keep myself in check and not wander to the fact that I was going out on my first date with PJ.

Unfortunately, that wasn't very long lived.

My stomach began to twist and flutter as it had been all day with nervous anticipation. My heart rate instinctively began racing but I did my best to not draw any attention to inner freak out. Obviously PJ did notice I could see him peeking at me from the corner of his eye.

"You ok?" he said, some concern lingering in his voice.

"Just first date jitters," I said, a smile on my lips. PJ shifted himself around in his seat, adjusting both hands on the steering wheel.

"Good jitters I hope?" he peeked over at me, waiting for my response.

"Good jitters definitely," I said smugly.

We finished our drive in silence, my hands in my lap and his on the wheel. We had driven our way out La Push, but staying on he coast side. Normally whenever we left La Push, we went towards Forks or Port Angeles, but never really in this direction.

The drive was beautiful, the beaches and cliffs were absolutely stunning. It was never a comparison to our own beaches in La Push, but they sure were keeping me interested. After another 10 minutes of driving, my mind was suddenly feeling at ease. I let myself sink deeper into my seat and took a long, drawn out breath.

We hadn't passed any restaurants in a while, or houses for that matter and I was curious as to where we were going. As if he could sense my curiosity, PJ spoke up say we were just a few minutes away.

Our paved road eventually settled down to one of sand I could tell from the salty air that the beach had to be hiding behind the trees around us. Just as he said, a minute later we pulled off to the side of the road and were faced with an opening to the ocean. There was a small patch of grass that led down to a sandy beach.

The area was surrounded by trees and secluded from what seemed like the rest of the world. My mouth hung open at the sight. The sun was just beginning to lower itself down and I was overwhelmed with the beauty in front of me.

Through my gawking I hadn't noticed PJ get out of the truck and come around to my side of the car. He opened the door for me, holding his free hand out for me to take. Looking down, I saw a picnic basket in his other.

"We're having a picnic?" I said, a glint of hope in my tone.

PJ only nodded, a goofy grin on his face.

He walked me down the beach, to a small spot that was clear of rocks and debris down by the water. Once we found the perfect spot, PJ pulled a large quilt that I had seen and sat on a thousand times, and helped flatten it out on the ground.

I kicked off my shoes; suddenly thankful I didn't wear wedges, and lowered myself down to the blanket. PJ spent a few minutes, pulling different odds and ends from the basket.

He certainly thought of everything. First, he pulled a large jug of water with lemon slices floating around inside. Next, he pulled a wooden cutting board out and began putting pre-sliced cheese and crackers on the board.

"Need help with anything?" I asked after several minutes more of him continuing to set things up from his small basket.

"Nope, I'm almost done," he threw me on of those smiles that made my stomach flip and blush without my permission.

PJ had brought us quiet the selection of food and knew without a doubt he had to have had some help from his mom to put this together. The thought only put a smile on my face. He finally settled himself on the blanket near me, but not close enough to accidently touch one another.

"This place is incredible," I professed, "How did you find it?"

"It was kind of on accident actually. A couple weeks ago when we were all in the north for our training, one of the things we had to do was find the closest beach and somehow or another I ended up here. I liked it, its quiet and I've never seen anyone here other then the occasional fisherman. I don't know, I've just found myself wandering here more and more recently and it's just kind of become my spot I guess," he finished. He was rubbing at the back of his neck, the way he did when he was nervous I had observed.

"It's amazing," I breathed out. PJ's face instantly was covered in a blush but I knew he was relieved to know I loved it here as much as he did.

We spent the next few hours eating, laughing, bantering back and forth, telling each other different odds and ends about our lives, and asking some pretty stupidly regular ole questions that we should have known about each other but for some reason didn't. Every now and then, he would reach over and tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear, which would only leave my heart racing and make him smirk at me.

We devoured most of the food he brought and even called him out for cooking with his mom. Instead of saying something sarcastic, he looked me dead in the eye and said, "Of course I asked my mom for help, she's the best." That made me swoon a million times over in appreciation for his relationship with her.

When the sun began setting, PJ finally reached over and pulled me be sitting in front of him on the blanket. With my back rested on his chest, he wrapped his arms around my waist and held me tight. The motion made my heart race but at the same time all of the nerves that were left floated away.

We continued our talking; only whenever PJ said anything, he would lean down to speak right into my ear, sending chills down my arms. He knew the affect he had on me and would only squeeze me tighter in those moments.

PJ was drawing soothing circles on my arms, listening to me go on and on about random memories that were popping into my head.

"I was not a brat!" I squealed jokingly, slapping at PJ's arm.

"I never said you were a brat! I just said you knew how to get anyone to give you anything you wanted. Still can," he said, leaning down and placing a kiss to my forehead.

"It's not my fault your dad loved me more then mine and couldn't say no to me," I teased.

We kept up our conversation until the sun had fully set across the water. It was still light from the day that was lingering but the temperature was beginning to fall. At my first chill, PJ spun me around so I was sitting Indian style between his legs and his warm arms wrapped around my back. I let my own arms wrap into the front of his shirt and rested my cheek against his chest. His steady heartbeat was drumming in my ear and the noise was soothing.

A soft moan escaped my lips and I was instantly horrified at my bodies response in this moment. Instead of brushing it off or chuckling like I thought he would, PJ pulled his chest back and used one hand to tilt my chin upwards to his.

His eyes were nothing but smoldering. Still masked in absolute lust and awe but now also something more, longing? I wasn't sure but it certainly made my heart stop in my chest.

My face was moving towards his and my eyes fluttered closed intuitively. As soon as our lips connected, it was as it every kiss PJ and I had shared was a forgotten memory. Heat flooded my body and I wasn't sure if I was still on the blanket or floating off into the sunset. Our lips molded together with a sigh, fitting together in a way they hadn't before. This kiss wasn't rushed. It wasn't need. It was a declaration of our feelings for each other. Our first real kiss as imprint and imprinter.

I lost myself, letting my arms wrap tightly around PJ's neck and moving up so I was on my knees and could be closer to him. I shivered when I felt PJ's tongue run along my lower lip, tasting the skin there and nipping it between his teeth. A whimper escaped my lips and that only drove PJ to pull me up so I was straddling his lap.

I deepened our kiss, letting my tongue dance around his. His taste was driving me wild and I couldn't help but want to feel as close to him as possible. My hands were in his hair and his thumb was toying at the skin on my thighs.

Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew I was in a dress and shouldn't be in such a promiscuous position with him but I kept the thought were it was and continued with our kiss. PJ's lips left my mouth and a gasp escaped my lips. Smoldering hot kisses trailed down my neck until he was nibbling the skin around my collarbone. My head dropped back, giving PJ more room to taste the skin there.

Suddenly, a sense of vibration was coming from PJ's pocket. I couldn't help the groan that escaped my lips as PJ pulled his lips from my skin. Everyone knew we were on a date and would have better sense then to bother us unless something was wrong.

PJ pulled his phone from his pocket, answering in a quick way. I focused on PJ's face, trying to gauge what was going on. I tried to listen in on the conversation but it was over before it even started. I knew it wasn't good and he quickly confirmed my suspicions.

"We have to go," was all he said before jumping up and throwing our things into the basket. I tired to help but PJ was rushing around too quickly to do anything. As soon as the blanket was shaken out, PJ grabbed my hand and pulled me back towards his truck. As soon as I was safely buckled, he ran to his side, immediately grabbing my hand once he was back in the cab.

The silence between us was killing me but I wanted to wait until we were back on the road to La Push before asking what was going on. If it was a vampire I'm almost positive he would have phased and ran along side me while I drove the car home. Before I let my mind wander to the worst, I asked.

"PJ, what's going on?"

He sighed and gave my hand a squeeze before answering me. He was looking at me through the corner of his eye, waiting to gauge my reaction.

"Ryan's mom was in an accident."


	13. Chapter 13

SM owns all

PJ's POV

The 43-minute drive back to La Push seemed to take days. Kayley's nervous energy was shooting through me like a million shots of static and I was at a loss of how to comfort her. Her little hand was loosely holding mine, none of the spark from our date there anymore. Every now and then I would give her a reassuring squeeze but she only held her knees tighter to her chest, straining her neck to look out the window and as far away from me as possible.

I focused on the road, trying to get us to Uncle Seth's house as quickly as possible. Mom said that's where everyone is waiting to hear any news of how Ryan's mom, Michelle, was doing. Uncle Sam, Michael, Seth, Ryan, and the twins were at the hospital, but our pack has gotten too big to all bombard the waiting room like we wanted to.

I already knew Emily, my mom, and I'm sure Kayley's mom were in supervisory mode, making sure plenty of food was made and the house clean as a whistle.

I called mom back once we were on the road to get more details about what had happened, keeping the volume low so Kayley wouldn't hear any of the gory details. She explained that Michelle was pulling out of the elementary school where she works as a guidance counselor and a delivery truck didn't see her pulling onto the road and hit her broadside.

Sean and Michael were on patrol and first to get there having heard the crash first hand. Luckily, the Cullen's were still in town and Carlisle was able to get there nearly as fast but he quickly suggested they airlift her to Seattle, since Fork's hospital isn't that equip.

A chill ran through my spine when she said that. I don't remember there being anything like this happen in the past and the fact that Cullen thinks she needs more help then he can give her is worrisome.

My mind was flooded with thoughts on the drive and it was killing me that I couldn't comfort my imprint beside me. Our date had been nothing short of perfect until the phone call. A million times better then I imagined really. I could tell she was nervous the whole way to the beach and it was pulling strings in my chest and making me feel all sorts of things. Talking to Kayley was so natural, never a pause in our conversation and when she caught me sneaking glances through the corner of my eye she only blushed, smiled, and looked away.

I couldn't help when I pulled her into my lap to watch the sunset. The smell of her skin and hair and breath was intoxicating and the way we kissed…

Well, that was something different.

Kayley and I shared a few kisses since I imprinted on her. But this was different. It was like I imprinted on her all over again. I felt so whole I wasn't sure I could stop myself and peel my lips from hers when my phone rang. It was her good senses that did.

As soon as the truck was parked in front of the house, Kayley was running towards the door I was right behind her when we started to scan the room, looking for someone to give us more information. Auntie Kim was there first and Kayley was nestled in her arms before I could even let her go.

As much as I didn't want to, I kept my distance, allowing her time to be comforted by her mother. Our pull to each other was strong, I could feel it in my chest, vibrating with every falling tear. My father's hand rested on my shoulder, turning me to follow him out the back door of the kitchen.

Most of the guys were outback, in various phases, some barely dressed, some as wolves, some sitting in chairs around a table and talking. They all nodded in our direction was we made our way towards the tree line. Dad's hand stayed on my shoulder the entire walk out back and pushed me towards a few chairs off in the back.

"Tell me" I say through gritted teeth.

With a sigh, he answered lowly, "Not great. She's still in Forks. Carlisle said she's too unstable to transport so they're doing what they can here"

I rubbed at my eyes as he continued.

"When the truck hit her, it flipped the car and her head hit off the pavement. She has pretty bad brain swelling," his voice faded off there, obviously also lost in thought. Tears prickled my eyes as I cringed. There was nothing to say. Michelle was a pack mom and we couldn't loose her.

Dad stood from his chair taking one long look at me. "Be strong for her, son. She was much closer to Michelle then you were growing up and this will be really tough on her. She'll need you," he said. As my eyes welled, my father stood up. "I know Kayley is your priority right now, but remember your sister is in the same boat. I know her and that Clearwater boy were never too official but she basically grew up at that house with the twins. She's devastated ya know," he said.

Giving me a pointed look and headed back towards the house.

My face dropped my hands and I couldn't help the sob that escaped my mouth. I didn't need to hear those words to know how true they were. My chest felt cracked from the moment I got that call just an hour ago. Kayley loved Michelle. Shea loved Michelle. She was so much more then just a pack mother, she was a second mom.

Thoughts of Kayley and Ryan together flashed unwelcomingly through my mind. Kayley sitting at the dinner table with the Clearwater's, fitting in so naturally, like she was already apart of the family. Kayley helping Michelle food shop or baking cookies for the bonfires together.

Shaking my head clear, I stood from my chair knowing I needed to get back inside and check on Kayley. I passed by Sean and Uncle Jared on my way into the house, both sitting on the stairs with a blank look in their eyes. Jared was like a big brother to Seth, and I could see the pain in his eyes. Sean gave me a sorrow look as I took the back stairs two at a time.

The door creaked and I let my eyes scan the room, looking for where Kayley would be. It wasn't hard to find her. Between the pull in my chest leading me into the living room and her scent flowing around, I was instantly calmed at her presence. It only took me a moment to realize she was grabbing her things and moving towards the front door.

"Where are you going?" I said, loud enough for her to hear but not enough to cause a commotion. Kayley continued through the screen door, while my mother put a hand to my chest, stopping me in my place.

"Oh hun, were going to the Clearwaters, going to pack a few things for the boys and drop off some food, we won't be gone too long," my mother said, all the while grabbing her purse off the counter and following Kim out the front door. Kayley was already walking down the path as I made my way out the door, rushing to catch up to her.

"Hey wait up for a second," I tried to keep my voice as soft as I could, but I could tell a sense of panic was making it's way through.

As she turned towards me, I could see the stream of tears flowing down her cheeks. The need to reach out and wipe them away was so strong it took everything in me keep my hands where they were.

"We have to go PJ, I'm sorry I'll call you when I can," she said, already turning away from me.

Before I could think and stop myself, I grabbed at her swinging arm, pulling her back to face me. Taking a big step closer, I wrapped my two arms around her tiny body, solidly locking her in place.

Placing my chin just on her head, I whispered the words I know I shouldn't have. "I love you Kayley"

Her breath hitched but before I could let her respond, I dropped my lips to her forehead, leaving a chaste kiss there. I untangled myself from her and took a big step back, immediately feeling the tie to my imprint weaken.

* * *

The day's following the accident went by in a blur. The ceremonial bonfire was cancelled, as was Lizzi's birthday party. Between the Clearwater boys being at the hospital everyday and the rest of us were covering extra patrols, we all seemed to be running on little no energy. Avery wouldn't leave Ryan's side at the hospital and no one felt safe sending the girls to school without some sort of protection so we decided as a pack we would take the week off and try again the next Monday.

Out of some miracle, Michelle began to make slight signs of improvement. She was still in the ICU, but they were able to transport her to Seattle where she was under the care of some of the best doctors in the country. They had her in an induced coma until her swelling went down, which it was doing so little by little every day.

Kayley was distant. I assumed she would be. I made sure to patrol by her house every night, hoping that just being near to her would help her sleep a little more soundly. I texted her daily, letting her know I was there if she needed anything, but nothing that required a response so she didn't feel obligated to message back. One day she sent back, "thanks" and another she sent a red heart. I tried not to let my heart race too much with that one, but it was hard. I checked in with Sean everyday, who said things that I assumed. She was distraught, but would be okay. He said she didn't know how to feel, since she didn't feel it was her place to be this upset anymore.

That broke my heart. Just because she was no longer with Ryan, didn't mean she had to cut all ties with his family. In fact, that was the last thing I wanted for her.

Tonight was the first night I had off since the accident. My plan was to sleep outside of her window, knowing it would be the only place I'd actually get some rest. I couldn't actually remember the last time I slept for more then an hour or so at a time.

I settled up by the tree line and phased into my more comfortable from. If I were going to sleep outside, I'd at least try and be comfortable doing it. It only took a few minutes to feel myself start to fall into the abyss of sleep. Just as I was about to let it over take me, I heard something in the distance.

"PJ, are you out there?" it was so faint I almost missed it.

My ears immediately perked as I tilted my head towards her window.

"I know your out there, I can feel it. Come in here will you"

It took all of 3 seconds for me to phase and be climbing through her window. Her scent was overwhelming and it took me a moment to catch my bearings. She was standing in front of me, but I couldn't quiet focus on her face. I had been waiting to see her again all week and I couldn't even look at her. Instead, I was focused on her legs. Her bare legs. She wasn't wearing any pants. All she had on was my over size La Push High School football sweatshirt.

My throat bobbed as I chocked back whatever was trying to come from my mouth. I couldn't tare my eyes off her body and I could feel something inside of me changing. It was the wolf. It was hungry and teetering on the edge of coming loose.

Without thinking twice, a rolled myself back out of the window, letting the cool breeze flow through my nostrils, giving me fresh air, before my feet landed on the hard ground. I immediately raked my hands through my hair, trying to shake her unbelievably beautiful imagine from my mind. By the time I had taken a few shaky breaths, I heard the rear door opening.

"Are you okay?" she asked. Attentively, I turned around, making sure my eyes stayed focused on the house above her head.

"You had no pants on," the words were out before I could take them back.

She gave a slight chuckle before responding, "Yeah, sorry I didn't really think about what I was wearing when I called out the window. I kind of thought I was going crazy to be honest, yelling out the window like that."

Instead of responding to that, I asked, "where did you get that?" pointing down to the sweatshirt she was in, thankfully with a pair of leggings on underneath now.

Instantly her cheeks were flooded with color. "Oh, uhh, um Jessica dropped it off the other day. She said I could borrow it. I figured you sent it over with her actually," she said, shuffling her feet side to side.

Jess and my mom were here on Monday to help make some food for the pack. She must have brought it over then. How had I not known it was missing?

"Oh right, yeah, no you keep it. It doesn't fit me anymore anyways."

Truthfully, I can't imagine anyone else wearing that thing now that she has it on. So hers it is.

Without saying another word, I silently reached down and grabbed her hand, pulling her back towards the door. Jared was in Seattle; otherwise I would never come so willingly into his house.

We silently padded up the stairs, taking in a quick observation that her mother was in bed, but Sean wasn't home. Kayley clicked the door close behind her, and the anticipation that was in the room earlier had only dwindled slightly. Now, being along, after a week apart, it was obvious how big of an affect she has on me.

Our movements were silent, Kayley walking to the far side of her bed, me on the side closest to the door. We lied down in silence, knowing there was nothing to say. With me on my back, Kayley moved to rest her head on my chest, her cheek to my heat and arm across my chest.

No more then a minute passed before that familiar feeling of peaceful sleep began to overtake me. Every limb of my body was aching for rest and I was more comfortable then I had been in maybe my life.

Right as I was falling into a deep sleep, I felt her heart begin to speed up, and her breath ever so slightly begin to increase. Instinctively I rubbed soothing circles on her arm, hoping this would calm whatever has her feeling uneasy.

Then she mumbled under her breath.

"Hmm?"

Another soft mumble came from her mouth. I something or other…

"What was that?" I asked, tilting my head back just slightly enough that I wasn't suffocating her against my chest and she had more room to answer.

What she said next nearly had me fall back off the bed.

"I love you"

Everything stopped. My thoughts, my heart, definitely my breathing. She said what?!

It was as if a higher power threw some lewk warm water across my body and flipped me back into gear without sitting there too long and not responding.

"I love you, too" tilting my head down and placing a light kiss on her cheek, mere inches from mouth.

Nothing else was said, she simply snuggled herself closer and I felt her whole body calm.


End file.
